Death Jumper: Harper's Island: When the Tide Turns
by Amur Leopard
Summary: Sequal to DJ: Case 39: HI. Six months after the events of Harpers, Rebecca gets an invite that brings her back to her Saves. But not everything, is as it seems...
1. Chapter 1 The Call

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, welcome to the sequel to Death Jumper: Case 39: Harper's Island. I suggest if you are new and haven't read the first one I wrote, then read that first, as it will hopefully make this one more clear. If your a returning reader or reviewer then welcome to the sequel and I hope it will be as good and enjoyable as the first one!

Now first of all, as the original show and I suppose, even my original tale, had some mystery in it, then this one should have too. So even though you know who the murders are for this, I challenge the readers and reviewers to guess which two of the original characters have been replaced by our two Rogues. Not that you can discern much from this first chapter, but feel free to have a random guess. I also wonder, if anyone knows who the two Rogues were from the epilogue, as they were mentioned in an earlier chapter of Case 39.

Now I will try to get a chapter up a week, but it will depend on uni work. However, like my last story, I can promise you it will be finished. So please try and be patient with me.

Ok, so with that all said, I finally warn you of some words of bad language, as usual. I hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!

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**_Chapter one-The Call_**

I was running, sprinting through the trees. It was pretty dark, but my heightened eyesight made life easier. I could hear, not far behind me, the sound of feet pounding after me. I was reminded even more, that I was being chased, as a bullet whined past me shattering bark off a near by tree. I ran faster, searching for the path as I ran. Yet it wasn't just the pounding of feet that I could hear, but the pounding of paws too. Just out of the corner of my eye, to my right, I could see a shadowy figure bounding through the trees. Some sort of dog, and it was getting closer ever second.

Whump!

It sprang, colliding with me. A golden jackal, it's teeth snapping close to my skin. I wrestled with the animal, trying to get a better position. We rolled and I got my feet under it, kicking it backwards. In one movement, I spun up from the floor and grabbed my hunting knife from my waste. It had spun on its paws, and was charging me, as I did this. As we collided again, my right arm swung round the back and struck a blow to the base of the skull. The jackal went limp, and collapsed dead to the ground. I wiped the blood off the knife and re-sheathed it. Then I was off again, sprinting through the trees.

I dodged left and right, trying to sense where people were. Another bullet whined past me, causing me to dash left. An arm appeared, and I only just ducked and rolled in time. The man now proceeded to fight me. He however, had never fought a Death Jumper and wasn't quite prepared to fight one either. I blocked his moves, as he tried several combos, and then caught him off guard, sending him sprawling across the forest floor. I was off, without a second thought to him, but as I ran a sound reached my ears. A sort of sorrowful moaning roar, and I knew it meant the jackal had been found. It was one of its compadres, mourning its death. I ran faster; knowing now they would be out for blood, my blood.

I continued once again, only to find five minutes later my path blocked with a man holding a gun. Fabulous, I thought. I moved, dropping and rolling behind a tree for cover. Bullets thudded into the tree, and splinters filled the air. I listened; counting the bullets till he had no more and I went for it. We collided, rolling and kicking, but I knew I didn't have time to be held up. I was on my feet again, when he made the mistake of grabbing my leg. Down I went, but as I did, I removed my silver colt automatic from down the back of my jeans. I rolled, regained my footing, turned and fired, all in one smooth movement. The guy did not rise again. The pounding of paws reached my ears and I raced on, I needed to get out of here fast.

I re-entered the trees, and tried to relocate the path. I slowed; as my hearing informed me I'd currently lost my pursuers. I was just about to take a left and further my progress, when a sound rang out in the dark. I felt like one of those people, whose bloomin' mobile phone goes off in the cinema. I grabbed my phone and answered it quickly, preying that it hadn't given away my position.

"Hello?" I said, my eyes searching the dark trees.

"Hi, Rebecca?" said the voice, on the other end, a woman.

"Yes, who is this?" I continued, listening for any noise.

"Oh great, I got the right number, it's Chloe," said the woman, seeming relived.

"Chloe?" I said, slowly, so much was running through my head I couldn't place her.

"Chloe Carter, you know," she started, slowly. "You saved me and my fiancé on Harper's Island,"

"Ah, got ya, yes, hello Chloe, long time no talk," I said, rolling my eyes at how slow I'd been. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, I was ringing…" she started, but I never heard what she said.

Something dropped onto me from above. The phone flew out of my hand, as I stumbled and hit the floor. My attacker was fast, and as I stopped rolling, it launched its self onto my chest. I came face to face with…a racoon.

I stared at the racoon, and it stared back. Then its face changed into a snarl and it hissed. It went for me, and I began struggling to hold it off. Its claws scrabbled for a hold, as I managed to get to my feet, while trying to restrain the creature at arms length. I managed to punch it, and then throw it back into the trees. It hit a tree with a thud, and I turned to locate my phone. Yet as I grabbed it up, my hearing picking up Chloe's frantic cries coming from the receiver, I turned to find, that a man now stood where the racoon had been. He was medium height, with sharp features and almost shoulder length black hair. He peered at me, cocking his head slightly, before attacking.

This fight was harder. Harder then any of the ones with other men I had fought. This man moved almost as fast as me, and we blocked each others moves back and forward. Back and forth, up and down. The moves came swift, and it would have gone on much longer, if he hadn't made a slip up, that meant my flying kick met with his body. He crashed to the floor again, hitting a tree in the process. He didn't get back up. I returned to the phone call.

"Sorry about that, now, what did you call for?" I said, now sweeping my hair back.

"Um, are you ok?" she asked, her voice uneasy.

"Yes, I'm fine, go on," I said, with a sigh.

"Okay then, well it was just, we haven't seen you in a while," she started, carefully. "And Cal and I thought, that after all you did, that you would have to come,"

"Right, so, what is it?" I said, pacing, my eyes glancing round the scene.

I paused; the man had disappeared.

"Well, we wanted to invite you to…" she said, her voice still uneasy.

"Just wait, one second," I interrupted, heading slowly to the spot where the man had been.

I sensed he was close by.

"Rebecca?" she said, slowly.

The racoon launched himself, once again, from the tree above me, and landed on my right shoulder. He bit down hard. I snarled, making a violent movement. He lost his grip, slightly, sliding down my right arm. What occurred next, would have looked, at least in my opinion, a very funny sight in deed to any passer by, if they had happened upon the scene. There I stood, my phone in one hand and the racoon clinging to my right arm, biting me, while I bashed him repeatedly into a tree.

"Rebecca, are you alright?" called Chloe, desperately down the phone. "What's going on?"

"I'm fine, completely fine," I lied, then turning to the racoon. "Get off you little bugger! Get off!"

"You don't sound it," came Chloe's response.

"Don't worry, it's just a slight misunderstanding," I said, still bashing the racoon against the tree.

His occasional cries of pain, the only indicator I was doing any damage to him at all. I muted the call; knowing it would only worry her more to hear the fight. I kept bashing him, with blood running down my arm. I was trying to hit the kill spot, but my arm wouldn't twist that way. I now moved, and instead bashed his head hard against the tree. It stunned him enough, for me to swiftly pocket the phone and rapidly twist my body. He didn't manoeuvre quick enough and I slammed him against the tree, the base of his skull meeting with the trunk. He went instantly limp, and fell with a flump to the forest floor. He was dead, and now I had to leave.

I kept going, grabbing my phone out again and attempting to talk while running.

"So, you want to invite me to something, is what I got so far," I said, jumping a tree root.

"Yes, Cal and I are getting married, and we would like you to come," she explained, finally. "Are you running?"

"Um, why do you ask," I questioned, dodging round another tree.

"Well, you sound like you moving at a pace," she said, slowly. "Your voice sounds...a bit jumpy,"

"Well, yes, I am running, practicing for a triathlon," I said, unable to come up with a better excuse.

"I see," she said, her tone suggesting she didn't believe me.

Then again, to be fair, I didn't believe me either. I could hear again, the sounds of feet and paws, and bullets started to whistle and whine past once again.

"Look Chloe, I would love to talk to you properly," I said, dodging something that flew past, inches from my head. "Could I ring you back later?"

"Um, yeah sure," she said, her voice curious.

"Great, bye for now," I said, as cheerful as I could.

"Bye," she said, sounding a little sad.

I clicked off and pocketed the phone. In fact, it was almost perfect timing, as two minutes later, I hit the floor again. This time however, my opponent who collided with me, was a whole other ball game. I manoeuvred myself into a sitting position, back against a tree. I looked into the golden eyes, of the large lioness who stood before me. She eyed me with contempt, and hatred whirled in her dark orbs. She must have been the one who had found the jackal. I got to my feet, and we sort of circled each other. Then it began, she flew at me and we collided, the two of us scrabbling. Unlike the racoon or the jackal, she could do a hell of a lot more damage. One of her savage claws caught my cheek, and it felt like been sliced by a white hot knife. I punched her in the jaw and managing to get hold of my knife, stabbed her in the side. She snarled and in changing her position, I got a kick in that sent her rolling across the floor.

I was up and she ran at me, but instead, I launched up the tree behind me and flipped backwards, right over her golden back. I landed however, on all four paws. She turned slowly, and eyed me up. Now we were more evenly matched. We charged at each other and collided. Rearing up on our back paws, teeth and claws went to work. Two beasts fighting, snarling, and ripping at each other; each trying to gain the upper hand. We rolled, and I managed to get my back legs under her soft belly. I extended my claws and strummed for all I was worth. She let out, what could be described as, a scream of pain and I kicked her off. I was up back on two feet, and I removed my silver colt from my jeans. She didn't attack again. I glanced once at her body, before heading along the path again.

I was once more under fire, and as I cleared some trees I came to an abrupt halt. In front of me, I could see a waterfall that dropped down nine or ten meters into a plunge pool, flowing then into a river below. I had nowhere to go. I turned, and now found the path behind me blocked too. Five men and four animals stood there. The animals consisted of: another jackal, a leopard, a white Persian cat and a wolverine. The wolverine stalked forward, a little.

"So Miss Jacobs, we finally meet," it snarled, its voice deep and threatening.

"Rocco isn't it, I should have known some of your kind would be here," I replied, calmly.

"You speak, as if we are different from you," continued Rocco, cocking his head slightly. "But, we are the same,"

"Yeah, apart from the fact you're friends with psychopaths," I spat, causing growls to rise in the throats of the others.

"What you do, is wrong," spat the Persian. "We correct your mistakes,"

"Yes, and you've made many mistakes," added Rocco, with what could have been called a grin.

"We know what we're doing," I argued, knowing I wasn't going to get anywhere.

"You put your trust in The Panel. They're not always right," said Rocco, he then glanced at the others before continuing. "We are only putting things back in order,"

"You have less right, to do what 'you're' doing, then The Panel does," I said, looking around the lot of them. "At least, The Panel can check the consequences,"

"But we know what we are doing is right, you only have The Panel's word, that it's right," said the Persian.

"You really think, what Blofeld is doing, is right?" I said, staring at the Persian with an incredulous look.

"He gets dropped down a chimney later," replied the Persian, causally, the men all stared at it. "He pays for his crimes,"

I had to say, it had a point there.

"So, I guess your gonna kill me now?" I said, changing the subject.

"You know, it would be a shame to kill such a fine Death Jumper," said Rocco, glancing me up and down. "Why not join us?"

"I was waiting for you to ask such a thing," I said, shaking my head. "But, I would rather not be hunted for the rest of my life,"

"Then sadly, that means we have to kill you," said the Persian, I swear I heard it purr with satisfaction.

They started to slowly approach.

"Well, can I give you one last word of advice?" I started, casually.

"Why not," said Rocco, smirking and cocking his head again.

"When cornering someone to kill them, make sure they can't do this," I replied, with a wink at Rocco.

With that I jumped backwards, off the cliff and plummeted down into the plunge pool below. I hit the water, and resurfaced, allowing myself to be carried into the current of the river. I let it take me downstream, while far above I heard angry cries and yells, followed by some gun fire. Where the river widened, I chose to now swim to the far side of it. I pulled myself out on to the muddy embankment, and looked up at the cliff I would have to climb. I sighed; it was better then been killed by Rogues. I began my accent, carefully picking hand and foot holds on the unstable cliff. When I finally reached the top, I made my way quickly from the edge and into the trees. There was a clearing that was the rendez-vous point, and I started up my tracking signal so I could be found. I kept searching, until I heard the familiar thuwmp of the blades of a helicopter. It dipped down, I grabbed onto the right landing skid and up the helicopter rose. In my mind, a song had started as the helicopter had appeared. I laughed; as A View To A Kill by Duran Duran played in the background while we flew away, in the direction of the setting sun.

As I hung, there the door to the helicopter slid open and a hand descended towards me. I took it happily, and allowed myself to be pulled into the helicopter. I sat down opposite the handsome man, who had pulled me in. He had dark brown hair, blue grey eyes.

"You get it?" he asked, in his silky smooth voice, the tone saying he had complete confidence I had.

"Of course, when have I ever failed you, James?" I said, giving him a raised eyebrow.

"Well, there's always a first time," he replied, with a slight smile.

"So, I guess it's back to HQ for you then," I said, glancing out the helicopter window.

"Felix will take it when we land, there's no rush," he said, giving me a suggestive look.

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not that easy," I said, giving him a look back.

"That's what they all say," he said, with a smirk.

When we landed, James's CIA contact Felix, was waiting. I removed a small black bag from my pocket, and handed it to him.

"This is it?" he asked, eyeing up the bag.

"Yep, that's it," I replied, simply. "And I went through hell to get it, so don't lose it,"

He smiled, and glanced at James.

"See you later then," he said, before turning away chuckling as he went.

I watched him go. I still had to call Chloe back. I decided I would do it, when I got back to the hotel.

"You coming then?" said James, looking at me.

"I need to get my stuff, you can give me a lift," I said, smiling at him.

"Whatever you say," he said, slinking an arm round my shoulder and leading me away.

It was worth getting a lift though, as he was driving a beautiful, silver grey Aston Martin. We reached the hotel and headed upstairs. It turned out that his room had been given away, and so he ended up having to come in my room, with me. I assumed, it was really part of his elaborate plan, but I couldn't really argue. He offered me the shower first, but I declined giving the excuse I needed to make a phone call, though it wasn't really an excuse. I searched my phonebook for Chloe's number, and pressed dial. It rang twice, before she answered.

"Hello," she said, she sounded a little nervous.

"Hi Chloe, its Rebecca," I said, cheerfully.

"Oh hi," she said, sounding more relaxed. "So, can you come to our wedding?"

"Um, yes I'm pretty sure I can," I replied, glancing round the room for paper and a pen. "Where and when?"

"Well, its two weeks from now, in Scotland," she started, slowly.

"Oh okay, where in Scotland?" I said, thinking it was slightly unusual.

"The highlands, it's up near Loch Farnon," she explained.

It didn't help, I'd never heard of Loch Farnon.

"Right, okay," I started, slowly.

"Well, actually, it's on Loch Farnon," she added, her voice sounding uneasy. "You need a boat to get to it,"

"So you're telling me, you're having your wedding on an island, in the middle of a Loch," I said, a feeling stirring in me. "In a remote part of Scotland?"

"Yes, Cal's parents got married there, and so we wanted to marry there too," she explained, carefully.

"I see, so, what day is it?" I asked, curiously.

"Well, it's on a Saturday," she said, but there was something in her tone.

"That's okay…" I started, scribbling the information down, having found a pen and paper.

"But, it's a week long," she interrupted. "We all stay in the hotel there, and Cal and I get married in the church on the Saturday,"

"Ah, right, so who else is coming?" I questioned, now.

"Most people, although I think some of them will only come if you do," she replied, I sensed she was stressed. "There will be some people you don't know too,"

"Okay, well, I want to see you all, so…you can count me in," I said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Great, I would have just sent you an invite, but I wasn't sure where to send it," she said, sounding more relaxed.

At that point, James decided to call out, to ask if I could pass him a towel.

"That voice sounds familiar," said Chloe, slowly. "Are you with someone at the moment?"

"Oh no, that's just the TV," I lied, quickly. "One of those, Peirce Brosnan Bond movies,"

"Oh, that's why it sounded familiar," she said, cheerfully. "Well, see you soon then,"

"Yeah, can't wait," I replied, and she clicked off.

I was looking forward to seeing everyone again, but the nagging feeling I had in the bottom of my stomach, was worrying me. There was a lot of coincidence, between Chloe and Cal's wedding and Trish and Henry's, and life had taught me, that often, there's no such thing as coincidences.

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Ok, so what do we think, do we like the start of this sequel? I'm sure you all got the references to which dimension Rebecca started in. Now, as I said above, I will try to do a chapter a week, but it does depend on uni work. Now you can guess at which two original HI characters have been replaced by the two Rogues, if you want. As I said, I don't think you can work it out from this first chapter, but you can take a guess at which two are not who they say they are, who knows you may be right from the start!. It's up to you lot. Anyway why not make my day and review *Puppy dog eyes* lol.


	2. Chapter 2 Are We There Yet?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, Thanks to Neon Jack, January Raines, Madison xxx, HonoraryDAMember and jamesss for you nice reviews. It's great to see you all back! **To Neon Jack**, thanks, I love the calmness and action clash too, for some reason the image of Rebecca beating the raccoon against the tree while calmly talking to Chloe cracks me up. Hope you like this one. **To January Raines**, I'm glad to see you back and happy your enjoying it. I think you'll find that your question gets answered in this chapter, enjoy.** To Madison**, nice to have you back and very happy you like it. As for pictures I'm afraid I'm awful at drawing and doubt I can do it justice. The best I could do, is give you a written description, or maybe I might try and get a friend of mine to do a drawing of her. We'll see, hope you enjoy this. **To HonoraryDAMember**, good to see you back, thanks, you will have to wait to the next chapter I think to get some clues as to who is not who they say they are, hope you like this chapter. **To James**, I'm happy you managed to catch up, I saw from your last review on Case 39 you had some idea who the two Rogues are. I would be interested to know if you guessed right. As for your guess for this story, we shall have to wait and see if you are right. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Ok so I'm doing my best to get the story written. I know how everything is going to go in my head so you'll have to be patient with me. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and if you read the end author note you may spot something you might not otherwise in this chapter lol.

So read on and don't forget to review...

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**_Chapter two-Are We There Yet?_**

Once The Panel was informed, of the fact I had been contacted by one of my Saves from Case 39, they reluctantly gave me the go ahead. I finished up the mission I had been on, with James. He seemed almost disappointed that he had yet to get his way with me, but he gave me a smile and said he looked forward to seeing me again in the future. I started to leave, but feeling a bit bad, I turned and approached him.

"Till we meet again," I said, before embracing him.

As I broke the hug, I gave him a peck on the cheek and left with a grin, which he reciprocated. I then got in the jeep I had been using, and drove away from civilisation. Once I was out of range of scanners, and making sure I had no onlookers, I Intra Jumped.

I reappeared on a small beach hidden by trees, at Seattle Harbour. I breathed in the smells of the familiar city. I was glad to be back. I would have to drive to meet the plane that would take me to Britain. Minneapolis airport, is where it waited to take me to London, the place I'd be meeting Ryan, who had volunteered to drive up to Scotland with me. He would also be giving me necessary supplies that I needed, as I had chosen not to go back to, what you could call, the Death Jumper HQ.

I headed up off the beach, and strolled along to the dock car park. There, waiting for me as expected, was my baby, still looking as if she'd just rolled off the line, my black and white 1968 mustang. I grinned and climbed in, it felt so good to be back. I hit the road, it would take many hours to reach my destination. I could have taken the easy way out and done a Translocation Jump, but I wished to conserve as much Reaper energy as I could. I would get a little from The Panel, but as this was not an official case, then I would be on half rations for everything.

The one good thing, I have to say, about long drives is that it gives you time to think. I loved listening to music, having occasional glances at the scenery and thinking. I loved the big wide open roads of America. State after state, town after town, tunes playing all the way. Songs like Lifted by The Lighthouse Family, Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves and good old rock songs like Thunderstruck by ACDC.

As I finally reached Minnesota, and stopped for gas for like the tenth time, I had lost count, the pilot of the plane that was taking me, rang . I had to let it go to voicemail, because of the dangers in using mobiles in gas stations. After buying beef jerky, I always had liked the stuff, and paying for the petrol, I set off to find the nearest stopping spot. I pulled in and took out my phone. One new voicemail it read, and so, I played it.

"Hey Muchacha, hope all's goin' well. We're all ready here, fuelled, immediate clearance when you arrive and of course plenty of parachutes! I am the best pilot around, but it don't always mean the plane's up to scratch," said the cheerful voice of the Captain, he then put on a British accent. "So it will be chocks away and tallyho chaps as soon as you and the Black Beauty arrive. If we're on best behaviour, then maybe we'll get to have tea with her Majesty!"

I shook my head, in all the years I'd known the Captain, he was always one for messing around.

"Anyways, see you soon, Beautiful," he finished, and clicked off.

I laughed, and rolling my eyes at a memory he'd just reminded me of, I set off for Minneapolis. I felt a thrill, when I passed the actual sign telling me I had arrived in Minneapolis and began following signs for the airport. I was coming in a different way from the public, as I had clearance to drive onto the actual runway. It didn't stop me being checked of course, but safety was always a priority. I spotted the large military aircraft from a distance, it was an Airbus A400M. It was the Captain's style to use that sort of plane, I think it made him feel superior. I was approaching it, when the back started to lower so the mustang could be driven straight on. As I drove up, I spotted the Captain waiting for me. The Captain was tall, and not bad looking. He had short brown hair and brown eyes, that sparkled with mischief. He was dressed in his uniform for once, but there were still bits that showed he enjoyed defying regulations. The two things that stood out the most, were his baseball cap and the pair of black Converse All Star shoes.

I jumped out and went to join him.

"Hello love, how are you?" I said, grabbing him into a hug.

"Fantastic, yourself?" he said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'm great. You ready?" I said, glancing back up at the plane.

"Ready when you are, M'Lady," he replied, putting on his British accent.

"Let's go then, good sir," I replied, in a posh accent, grinning broadly.

We got in, I sat in the co-pilot's seat and strapped myself in. I then placed the pair of earphones on and relaxed.

"Control, this is flight 142 requesting the use of runway 4," said the Captain, into the microphone.

"Flight 142, request granted, proceed to runway 4," came the slightly crackly reply, through the headphones.

"Thanks," said the Captain, glancing at me and grinning.

We taxied out to runway 4, then once all the systems were checked and ready, the Captain pushed up the throttle. The plane roared forward, picking up speed every minute. The Captain then pulled back the control yoke and she rotated. He whooped as she did, and I laughed at his antics.

The flight would take several hours. The Captain jokingly decided to make an announcement.

"If all passengers could remain in their seats until the seatbelt sign has been switched off. Once it has, you will be free to move about the cabin," he said, professionally, I sighed. "Yet there will be no refreshments available, as the airhostesses have gone on strike,"

"With their picket boards," I added, glancing at him.

He grinned and then went back to concentrating on what he was doing. I did move around during the flight, but it was mainly to check information. I had secured the car and put all the stuff, such as the invitation and directions, into the glove compartment. We reached the coast of Britain around twelve noon. The Captain had to get back to where he'd come from, and so to make it easier, I had installed a Panel device that he could just push to take him back. Well, him and the plane, what he did with it once he got back was up to him. I was slightly worried about letting him go alone, as he'd always Intra Jumped with me, due to the fact he wasn't a Death Jumper. Yet he'd convinced me he'd be fine, and so I had consented. He wasn't actually going to land, instead I was to reverse the mustang out of the moving plane. I'd seen it in several shows and films, but it would be a first for me.

"This is Control, you do not have clearance to land here flight 142," came the British voice, through the headphones.

"Ooh, this is going to be fun," said the Captain, cheerfully to me. "I do envy you a little,"

"You would, but you're not the one who is going to be chased off the runway," I said, starting to get out the chair.

"But once they read your papers, they'll see you 'do' have clearance, it's just me and this baby who don't," he said, glancing at the many dials in front of him.

"I suppose, well thanks again," I said, bending down and kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you around, say hi to the guys for me,"

"I will, but I'm telling you they won't believe me," he said, giving me a smile.

"I know, right better go get ready," I said, squeezing his shoulder, before leaving the cockpit.

I got into the mustang, after releasing it from its bonds. I now waited to be told to turn on my engine. The plane got lower and lower, behind me the back door started to come down. The Captain's voice came over the intercom and I switched on the engine, putting her into reverse. I waited again, a feeling of anticipation welling inside of me.

"Now!" cried the Captain.

Back I shot, getting a bit of air time before the wheels hit the tarmac and back she went. I then did a one eighty turn, putting her into second and shot forward. I was amazed I'd pulled it off, it had felt like my stomach had dropped. Behind me the plane was going up again, and I knew the Captain would be whooping all the way. Now, however, I had to deal with the approaching security forces, their flashing lights appearing off to my left. I sped towards the main building, with them following. I slowed though, as I reached the gate and waited to be apprehended. I could see that both the Captain and the Airbus A400M had already Intra Jumped, as the plane had completely vanished. One of the four by fours stopped behind me, as two of the men who operated the gate approached me.

"Hi, well that was exciting wasn't it?" I said, cheerfully as one of the security officers jumped out of the truck and pointed a weapon at me. "I do have permission to land here, I have papers,"

"You didn't have clearance, that flight wasn't given permission to land," replied the officer, smugly.

"But, it didn't land now did it? It dropped me off and so, therefore, that argument has no backing," I said, still with a smile on my face. "So here you go gentlemen, passport, papers, credentials, and anything else you may require,"

The security officer took the documentation, and the gate officials took them off him.

"She's right, she has every right to do what she did," said one of the men, pointing out the bit and pieces to the security officer.

"I should still like to take her in," snapped the officer. "Now, if you would kindly step out of the car,"

I decided there and then I didn't like this guy, not one little bit.

"On what grounds?" I said, eyeing up the officer.

He looked stumped for a moment. Then one of his men came running up to him, holding a machine in one hand. He read it and glanced at the younger officer. A smug smile appeared on his face, and he turned slowly back to me.

"Can you read that sign for me, just behind us," he said, simply, watching my expression.

I glanced in the side mirror to the sign he was referring to. A round sign, with a red rim, white background and dark lettering in the middle.

"Thirty," I said, slowly, I sighed.

"Do you know what that means?" he said, deliberately slowly, as if talking to a small child.

"You have to be over thirty to enter the airside of the airport?" I said, sarcastically, grinning at him.

"Why you…it means the speed limit is thirty miles an hour," he snapped, I could see he was losing his cool.

"I see," I said, slowly.

"And do you know what speed you were doing?" he said, sounding as if he was getting to the best part of the story.

"Twenty-five?" I suggested, cheerfully.

"No, we recorded you as a hundred and five," he said, smugly.

"Ah well, that would have been due to coming off the plane while it was still moving," I replied, with a shrug, and then added casually. "I was actually slowing when you saw me,"

"Take her in! Take her in!" he snapped, almost jumping up and down with rage, his patience long gone.

Half an hour later, found me sat in a small room at a table. I was currently handcuffed, as the officer had believed me to be a tricky detainee. At one end was one of those one way screens, from which behind, I was sure, the security officer was watching. Unbeknown to me, he got a knock at the door and a man in a suit entered, followed by a member of the airport staff. He tried to argue with the suit, but the airport staff stopped him. Apparently this suit had the authority, and wanted me to be released immediately. The airport manager had sent the other member of staff, to ensure the officer complied with the suit's demand. The argument continued into the corridor, and I could hear the angry voices through the door. Finally the door opened and in walked the security officer, the suit waited in the doorway. The security officer was mumbling profanities under his breath, as he un-cuffed me and allowed me to leave. I gave the suit a smile, as we turned and headed off along the corridor, in the direction of the place they were keeping the mustang. We waited till we were out of earshot, before we spoke at all.

"I can't believe you got yourself detained," said Ryan, rolling his eyes.

"I can't believe you got me out of there," I said, with a laugh. "Did you see the security guys face, it was a picture,"

"It's not funny, you could have been stuck in there for a long time,"

"Oh come on, he was being smarmy and stuck up," I said, giving Ryan a look. "He needed to be taken down a peg or two,"

"Well…I suppose it was a little funny," he said, a smile playing on his lips.

There was a pause and then we both just laughed.

"Ok, so how did you do it?" I asked, curious.

"It's a professional secret," he said, with a grin.

We reached the warehouse where they were holding the car, and I drove her out. We then headed to the car park where the black truck waited. It was very easy to spot, as it was the only vehicle with a high tech white speed boat hitched up to the back of it.

"So, you follow me up, and when we reach Loch Farnon, we'll go from there," I said, showing him the route on the map.

"Right, so it's gonna take several hours to get there," he said, running his finger along the map. "It's gonna be late at night by the time we get there, so we will have to stop somewhere,"

"Yep, it will be at least ten hours, most likely more," I concurred, glancing at my watch. "No boat will take us at that time of night,"

"So let's say, we go till about seven and then find somewhere for the night," suggested Ryan, shifting in his suit.

"Yeah ok, but we must set off early in the morning," I said, folding up the map.

"Fine, just let me get out of this suit and then I'm ready," he said, heading for the truck.

We were soon on the move, cruising up the motorways. We could only go so fast, with The Marlin being attached to the truck and all. It felt strange to be in a left hand drive car, and to be driving on the left side. Yet it was good to be back in England, I had missed it.

At about seven, we found ourselves a Travel Lodge and stopped for the night. We got a room with two singles and went to look for something to eat. There was a Little Chief on site so we went there. Once back in the room we agreed we'd leave around six-ish. It meant that we would reach the loch around one pm. I didn't go to sleep immediately; I lay and stared at the ceiling for a while. I found memories floated in and out of my mind. I had missed my Harper's Saves, I had left them at the worst moment I could of. They had needed me there and then, and I had had to leave. I suspected, that not everything would be perfect when I got there. In fact with the length of time it had been and the fact, until Chloe, no one had contacted me, I had a feeling everything would be far from fine.

The alarm went off at half five the next morning. I got up and got myself ready, Ryan moaned and rolled over. Like me, he had never been much of a morning person, but unlike me he didn't have anything exciting to get him motivated.

"I know how you feel, but we've got to get going," I said, coming out of the bathroom.

"I know, just give me five minutes," he mumbled, quietly.

"I'll start packing the car," I said, with a grin he'd never see.

I carried stuff out to the car in the cool morning air. I could see fog present on the distant hills, but the sun was pushing its way through. I was just about done, when Ryan appeared carrying the last of the stuff.

"That's all of it," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Good, do you want some coffee?" I asked, knowing what his answer would be.

"Yeah sure," he replied, glancing around the site. "I don't think anywhere's open yet,"

I produced a thermos from out of the mustang. He gave me a look.

"Where'd you get that from?" he asked, curious.

"Professional secret," I replied, with a cheeky grin.

He rolled his eyes, and I handed him a cup. We sat for twenty minutes drinking our coffee and eating some donuts, that Ryan had bought the day before. On the road once more, we made good time. Up until we reached the narrower roads, where we had to go slow, due to the limited turning abilities of The Marlin's trailer. Finally, at half twelve, signs to Loch Farnon started to appear. I wondered to myself, what was here instead of Loch Farnon in my own dimension. We reached the point where you took the small car ferry, to the aptly named the Isle of Farnon. It was here, that Ryan and I now got The Marlin in the water. I was to drive her over, while Ryan accompanied the cars across of the ferry. Once the cars were on, I got on The Marlin and started her up. She roared into life, and as I pushed up the throttle, she sprang forward. Being a loch, there was hardly any waves, an occasional breeze ruffled the water, but otherwise it was as placid as Lake Placid.

There was, in fact, more then one island on Loch Farnon. There were at least four, but only one was large enough to be inhabited. I passed the first which was small and flat, the second was larger, and you could have put a house on it if you had so fancied. As I came round the taller second one, I finally spotted the island. It was still pretty small. Pine trees grew over most of what I could see, and what it lost in general length, the island made up for in height. It had possibly, once been an ancient volcano, but it was now long since extinct.

Even though I had a desire to get there, I decided to first check the whole loch out. I turned on the second engine and pushed The Marlin on. She sped up past the main island, and headed towards the other end of the loch. Once I had performed my sweep, coming back round to the main island from the other side, I spotted the car ferry approaching. I moored The Marlin a little way from the shore. I thought it would be safer then docking her. I took a smaller boat into shore and then hid it, more out of habit then anything else. As I went to wait for the car ferry to come in, a cool wind ruffled my hair causing me to shiver. I glanced up at the island, memories flooding my senses. The horn of the ferry caused me to jump, and as it docked, I got on to help Ryan get the cars off. I moved the mustang first and parked it off to the side, waiting for Ryan. He drove the truck past me and I followed. Having turned it, so it faced the way we'd come, he parked it out of sight of the docks. I stopped and got out as he approached me.

"Well, I guess this is me done," he said, coming to a stop in front of me.

"Yep, thanks for doing this," I said, cheerfully.

He glanced up at the island.

"No problem, you take care now," he said, glancing around, before looking me in the eyes. "Don't go doing anything stupid,"

"I know what your thinking, but I don't worry, I'm always careful," I replied, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"So, you're getting that feeling, that something about this doesn't feel right," he said, giving me a look. "It's too…similar,"

"I think we are just being paranoid," I said, trying to shake off the feeling I was getting.

"You know the Rogues have been getting more daring, growing in numbers," he said, with a sigh.

"Ever since The Panel took off Soul Morphing from the 'need to use Reaper Energy list', they have been perfecting their techniques," I pointed out. "The last case, they couldn't even be bothered to address me in human form,"

"Have you even…" he started.

"Yes, I performed a sweep," I interrupted him. "Look don't worry, if I smell trouble, I have you on speed dial,"

"That's not funny," he said, I could see the worry in his eyes.

"Well, you are my 'knight in shining armour'," I said, smiling and giving him a look. "I'll be careful,"

He looked at me.

"Come on give me a smile," I said, he gave me a quick smile and went back to looking worried. "Now, I know you can do better,"

He smiled properly and shook his head. I laughed and hugged him. After planting a kiss on his cheek, he handed over the truck's keys and then I headed back to the mustang.

"Good luck," he called, nodding his head at me.

"Cheers," I called, back, before getting in the car.

I watched him walking away, before putting the mustang into reverse. I glanced in the mirror and then back at where Ryan had been, but he'd already gone. I sighed and reversed.

I drove up the narrow road, that wound its way between the trees. With the island being tall, they had built up it, which meant that the road was up all the way. After five minutes of driving round hairpin bends, I reached the small settlement. It consisted of one main street, with houses on each side. There was also a small pub, café and local shop. I knew that the hotel was still further up, and so, I continued. The road got worse, as on one side there now was a steep drop, and the turns were all just as sharp. I thought, however, that this road would still be a drifter's dream. The road now turned away from the drop and went straight up instead. The trees on either side became thicker, and at one point an eerie feeling of being watched came over me. That was definitely an annoying factor of having heightened senses, even if they were only on half power. It could be something as meagre as a squirrel, and they still would react.

Finally, the hotel I was to be staying in rose up before me, as I crested the hill. I drove into, what could have been described, as a gravel courtyard with a fountain in the centre. Parking the mustang, I got out and looked at it. It was big and imposing, made of dark grey stone, a classic Scottish building. It had many windows, and the entrance was covered by a porch, which was supported by pillars. Two steps led up to the large double doors, which appeared to be made of oak. It seemed perfectly normal, nothing threatening about it at all. I sighed glancing around, here we go again, I thought.

In the forest, something moved. It had seen the mustang drive by. It had been told to watch for a black and white car. Now it had one last task to do for the day. It trotted back through the trees, vanishing into their shadows…

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Ok, so what did we think? Are we enjoying it? Is it exciting enough? The next chapter we will get to meet the cast once more. There was a cameo from a character of a completely different show. Some of you may have recognized who it was, it kinda depends on whether you ever watched it, as it was rather vague lol. If you do know who it was, then you can tell me or make a guess in your reviews. Talking of reviews...*Puppy Dog Eyes*!


	3. Chapter 3 Reunions

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, thanks to Neon Jack and HonoraryDAMember for you reviews. **To Neon Jack**, you will have to wait for the violence, but there probably will be some at some point. If Rebecca had taken the A68 I think the drive would have been more scenic, but personally I have never found the A1 that scenic. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **To HonoraryDAMember**, I'm happy your enjoying it, the reunions you have been waiting for are down below, but we shall have and wait to see how they go. I hope you like this chapter!

So I have done my best with this chapter, see what you think. I hope it's not too confusing. So read on, hopefully enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

**_Chapter three-Reunions_**

I opened the boot of the mustang. Inside was my suitcase, a rucksack, a toe rope, tool kit and a few other bits and pieces. I took out the case and the rucksack, then I paused. Hidden beneath the case was another bag, a dark green canvas zip up. I slowly unzipped the bag, and looked inside. I remembered now what it was and why it was there, I looked at it, debating whether to take it in. Finally I zipped it up and took it out, I wasn't taking any chances and it would be safer under the bed in my room. Locking the car, I made my way to the entrance. Up the two stone steps and opening one of the big doors, which was easier then it looked. I walked across the entrance hall, noticing the big fire that burned in the grate. Two chairs and a sofa, enclosed the fireplace. It would be lovely in winter, but it was currently April. Yet knowing Scotland, having taken a degree up here, I could see there been a slim possibility of snow, and a definite possibility of rain. That line of thought, again brought me back as to wondering why they had chosen here. Whether or not Cal's parents had married here, it still wasn't the greatest reason for them to do it. I was brought out of my thoughts by a voice.

"Can I help you, dear?" asked a distinctly accented voice.

I turned to find the woman, who I assumed managed reception giving me an expectant look. She was a short woman, with more curves then I guess she would have liked and curly greying hair. She was wearing a blouse, with a cardigan on top and a skirt.

"Um, I'm here with the wedding party," I said, slowly approaching her.

"Welcome, you do know however, you're a day late," she said, heading round behind the desk.

"Um yeah, I was meant to get here yesterday, but it was further then I expected," I said, placing my bags down and leaning on the desk. "It's a lovely place you got here,"

"Aye, it's been in my family for a while," she answered, while rummaging for something. "Ah, here we go,"

She pulled out a file and from within side, a sheet with names on it. At the top, I could just read the upside-down writing that read, Vandeusen Wedding. She now produced some spectacles.

"You are?" she asked, putting them on and peering at me.

"Rebecca Jacobs, I would think I would be the only one, who wasn't ticked off," I said, giving her a quick smile.

"Ah, yes here you are," she said, running her finger down. "That means that only two people haven't shown,"

"Not the bride and groom, I hope," I said, laughing slightly.

"No, they turned up," she said, looking at me and smiling a little. "You know, apart from the groom and you, the rest are practically all American,"

"Oh, I suppose that's a little strange," I said, my mind started to wonder, but I forced myself to stop. "Which room am I in, sorry,"

"Oh, my fault, dear," she said, shaking her head. "It's been so hectic, and I have had lots to sort. You're in room 32, second floor, on the right,"

"No worries, thanks," I said, picking up my stuff and starting to head for the stairs.

"Oh, everyone's out on the North Lawn, some activity or other," she called, before disappearing off down a corridor.

I now headed up. When I reached the second floor, I began searching for my room. I found it down on the right, at the end of the corridor. There was a window, also at the end of the corridor. Yet, I guessed the view was not the North lawn, as I couldn't see the others. I put the key in the lock, and opened the door to a nice little room. There was a large bed, a dresser and a wardrobe. The carpet was cream, as was the wallpaper, which had a pattern with little roses. There was a large window on the left hand side and the curtains, which framed it, were a pale pink and matched the roses colour. The room was an ensuite. The bathroom was also cream but with a pale pistachio green tiled floor. The units, as with almost everything else, were all cream colour too. All in all, it was a nice room.

I shoved the canvas bag under the bed, intending to leave it there for my entire stay. I then unpacked my case a bit, taking out things such as my dresses. The rest I left in, I was always more comfortable living out my suitcase. The rucksack, I left on a chair that sat in the corner of my room. I glanced out the window, and realised I could see quite a long way. In fact, if I craned my neck in a certain way, I could just about see the waters of the loch. I sighed and ran a brush through my hair, I was as ready as I ever would be. With one last glance around the room, I headed out the door.

Back in the entrance hall, I noticed that there where many heads of animals, particularly stags, on display on the walls. I went out the door and headed right. It was as I did, that I heard a clunk sound. My hearing may have been only on half, but I still picked up the whistling sound an object made, as it displaced the air through which it was propelled. I spotted the object in question, a white ball, which was now beginning its descent. Unfortunately, its trajectory meant there was only one place it would land…the back windscreen of the mustang. My reflexes tingled and I moved, my eyes focused and, actually using the object I desired to protect, I propelled myself off the mustang into the path of the ball. I caught it in my left hand, landing neatly on my feet. I looked at the ball in my hand, and tossed it up, with a slight laugh, and caught it again. Whatever the activity they were doing, obviously involved a ball.

I now headed in the direction the ball had come. Shouts and moans now caught my attention, as I came out of the bushes, which lay between the courtyard and the lawn, and onto the lawn it's self. The site that greeted me, made me smile broadly. They were all engaged in a game of what appeared to be rounders. From what I could tell, it was Cal who had hit the ball and he was walking, almost skipping around the posts. Sully, who seemed to be bowler, was watching him with what appeared to be contempt. Cal knew no one could get the ball he'd hit before he got round, so he wasn't even trying. Little did he know, that if I'd been playing, he'd be out right now. They didn't appear to have spotted me, or if they did, they didn't recognise me.

Cal had reached third base, and I decided to make my presence known. Chucking the ball up again, getting one last feel of it, I eyed up the last base. My pupils narrowed and I bowled it. It flew at high speed.

SMACK!

It smashed into the post, taking it clean out the ground. I hadn't intended to go that far. Cal turned, open mouthed and stared in my direction. He wasn't the only one, in fact everyone was staring in my direction. I saw Cal's brow furrow, as he tried to see who it was standing there. I saw Chloe join him and then she glanced at Cal, before coming up towards me. I watched, as her pace steadily increased and her expression brightened, as she realised who I was.

"Rebecca!" she called, and was hugging me hard in a matter of minutes.

"Hey," I said, laughing. "It's so good to see you,"

She was laughing and then she broke the hug and peered at me seriously.

"Your late, you know," she said, feigning a stern tone.

"We had to stop over night, it was a long way to come, sorry," I said, looking apologetic.

"We?" she asked, behind her Cal and the others were approaching.

"Oh, Ryan drove up with me, but he had to go," I explained, with a smile.

"Oh," she said, moving aside.

I was once again grabbed into a hug, this time by Cal.

"Glad you could make it," he said, giving me a smile, then he indicated towards where they'd been playing. "You should play for England cricket squad,"

"I don't think they'd appreciate me smashing up their wickets," I said, still grinning.

"Oof," moaned Cal, as he was now shoved out the way.

I gave the person a look, but it didn't last long, as he grabbed me into a bear hug.

"Ribs, Shane, I can't breath!" I gasped, while dangling, as he'd lifted me up.

"Sorry," he replied, putting me back down.

I sucked sweet oxygen back into my lungs, while leaning over. I now straightened up and smiled.

"It's wonderful to see you," I said, grinning at him, as some of the other's reached us. "How are you?"

He looked a bit awkward when I asked that. He sighed.

"I'm okay…I'm good," he responded, I saw him glance behind him.

"So," I continued, looking at the rest. "You all good too?"

For some reason, they had stopped slightly behind Shane and were looking at me.

"Yeah, we're okay," said Danny, slowly. "It's been a while since we last saw you,"

"Yep, six months is a bit of a slog," I said, smiling, yet I had a strange feeling. "So…"

I couldn't think exactly what to say. It was JD who saved me.

"Hey, so what have you been doing?" he asked, coming from behind some of the others. "Cause I can tell you, it will definitely be more interesting then what we've just been doing,"

Kelly came up beside him, and put her arm round his waste. She gave me a smile, as she squeezed JD.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad," grumbled Cal, giving him a look.

"Well, at least it wasn't cricket," remarked Danny, with a slight grin.

"I quite like cricket," I said, with a shrug.

"See," said Cal, with a nod to me.

"Yep, but your English, your sort of programmed to like it," said Malcolm, giving me a small smile.

"Well, I like playing it, watching it, I find well boring," I added, Cal looked defeated.

"Anyway, so what 'have' you been up to?" asked a new voice.

I now spotted the entire Wellington clan had shown up. It was Shea who had spoken.

"Well, the usual, helping people, missions, seeing family," I listed off, the uneasy feeling had come back. "Nothing very interesting, in fact, I'd have to say, being invited to this wedding was the best thing of all!"

Chloe smiled and Cal half laughed. The others nodded and murmured.

"So, are we just going to stand here all day?" I asked, glancing around them all.

"No, um, lunch is around now, so I guess we can go do that," said Cal, now turning to head back to the hotel.

Everyone nodded and started to head off. I stood and watched them go. Trish gave a small smile, as she passed, but she didn't say anything, while JD and Kelly nodded to me. I kept smiling and trying to greet them, they nodded occasionally. Abby said hi back at least, she looked paler then I remembered. Nikki however, wouldn't even look at me, she just walked on by. As the crowd cleared, I now spotted Jimmy hadn't even come up. I was about to call out to him, when I spotted someone who made my heart jump. Sully was walking near to the hotel, in the same direction as everyone else. With one last glance at Jimmy, I headed for Sully.

"Hey," I said, coming up to him and hugging him.

"Hi," he responded, barely hugging me back.

"Is everything alright?" I said, now looking up at him.

"Yeah, it's fine," he said, I let go and stood back.

"Obviously, it's not," I said, confused. "What have I done now?"

His expression hardened and he just looked at me. His beautiful blue eyes showed something that unnerved me.

"We better not be late for lunch," he said, and started to walk by me.

"What about Jimmy?" I said, glancing down the lawn.

"He'll come when he's ready," said Sully, simply before walking away.

As I slowly followed, feeling quite down, I heard footsteps behind me. I swung round to see Jimmy approaching. I sighed, maybe he'd be on my side.

"Jimmy?" I called, putting on a smile. "How goes it?"

Jimmy came right up beside me, and stopped for a mere moment. He looked rough, in fact they all had a seeming haunted, rough look to them. His eyes, glanced me up and down, before he shook his head and continued past me.

Obviously, I was in the dog house with him too. I sighed again, I had expected it to be difficult, but not like this. I could feel the tears welling inside me, but I shook it off. They were obviously hurting, and crying wasn't going to help them. Cal and Chloe seemed to be playing good hosts, as for Shane, well he was just temperamental.

"Are you coming?" asked a voice, that made me jump.

Shane appeared out of the shadow of one of the entrance pillars. I had no idea he'd been standing there, or for how long.

"Yeah," I said, slowly and joined him.

We walked in together, he lead me through the entrance hall, past the stairs and down a corridor. It led to a small room off which two doors led. He guided me to the one straight ahead. As I entered the dining room, which was quite big and made up of about ten large round tables, most people were seated already, but they still turned to watch me enter. Even though Shane was at my side, I still felt like a plague victim entering a tavern. He went to sit at a table where there were still two seats, but Jimmy was also at that table. After the look he'd given me, I decided to give him some space. There was still a seat at Cal and Chloe's table, and so they let me sit there.

It turned out, in fact, they weren't just playing good hosts. They were, genuinely happy to see me. I tried to get them to explain to me, why people were acting as they were, but that was the one answer they seemed reluctant to give me. Cal did, however, tell me what was to happen in the week. The rest of today was free time until the evening, when there was drinks and socialising at the bar, which apparently was where the other door led. Then Wednesday, was a group activity, Thursday, the classic bachelor and bachelorette parties. Friday, wedding rehearsal, Saturday, Wedding and Sunday, relax and do what you like, before going home on Monday.

"Busy week then," I commented, placing my knife and fork down. "I was hoping for sometime to have a chat with you all,"

"Well, we'll try and find you some time," said Cal, picking up his glass. "I think I can find a free hour possibly,"

"Early tomorrow morning might be good," suggested Chloe, looking round the tables. "People might be a bit…friendlier, after they've got some sleep,"

Cal glanced at her, something about his expression suggested that he wasn't so sure.

I looked round at them myself. I felt disappointed, if something was wrong then they should have rung me. Yet not one single person had done so since I had left. I spotted that some people were pushing the food round their plate. The looks on their faces suggesting they had not only lost their appetite for food, but also for life. I had no desire to sit any longer, and since I could constantly feel their desire for me to currently not be in the same room, I decided to oblige. I got up, Chloe and Cal looked at me. Cal made to get up, but I shook my head and headed for the exit. I didn't look back, even if I did hear several chairs move decidedly, as I left practically slamming the door behind me.

Running out into the cool air, I could smell the familiar scent of Scots pine and heather. I went back round to the north lawn, keeping near to the hotel. There was a bench, which I hadn't seen earlier, and I sat down on it. It looked out across the lawn, down to where the lawn met the trees. I looked into the trees, my mind far away.

Meanwhile, in the entrance hall, Danny, Shane, Cal and Chloe stood in deep discussion.

"Maybe it wasn't such a great idea to invite her," said Chloe, sadly. "I thought it would make it better, but it seems worse,"

"Well, I feel better," said Shane, a small grin appearing on his face.

"Shane, that's not helping," said Danny, with a sigh. "I think it was the right thing to do. However much they seem to dislike it, I believe, deep down, they are all happy to see her,"

"Yeah, but now she's not happy," commented Cal, glancing round them.

"What's this about her wanting to talk to us all?" asked Danny, glancing up as Sully, Booth and Malcolm were coming towards them.

Sully made a motion to indicate they were heading upstairs, and he should follow when he was ready. Danny gave him a nod, and then turned his attention back to Cal and Chloe.

"She just said she wanted to talk, and I suggested tomorrow morning," explained Chloe, as more people were coming out of the dining room.

"Well, let's try and get that to happen," said Danny, looking at each one in turn.

"Yeah okay," agreed Shane, he paused and turned.

They all did, as the commotion behind them was far too loud to go unnoticed.

"Look just talk to me," snapped Jimmy, coming from the dining room.

The person he was trying to talk to, was already halfway up the stairs.

"Just leave it, Jimmy," said Shane, heading for his friend.

"Keep out of this, Shane," he said, his tone dark and angry.

"Let her be," continued Shane, trying to be as calm as possible.

Jimmy gave him a look, then he took a step back from Shane and headed upstairs. Shane sighed and came back over.

"Look, we better leave it at that," said Danny, sensing trouble brewing. "We're agreed, we'll get Rebecca her talk time,"

"Yep, agreed," nodded Chloe, giving Cal a grin. "You better go find Rebecca, while Shane and Danny go sort...other people,"

"Okay, what are you going to do, my love?" he replied, cupping her face.

"Well, we are still getting married, so I have wedding stuff to sort," she said, then with a peck on his cheek, she left.

Danny smiled and Shane rolled his eyes, before they too left. Now Cal had to work out which way I'd gone.

A chill wind whistled past me, ruffling my hair. It stirred me from my thoughts enough, to sense the approach of someone. I turned, just as Cal appeared round the corner and spotting me, headed in my direction.

"There you are, I was worried you'd left," he said, his Bath accent still pretty clear even here.

"Just needed some space," I said, indicating around me. "It's a long time since I was in Scotland,"

"I keep forgetting you spent more then ten years on…on that island," he said, I saw his uneasy look.

"Won't you sit with me," I said, hoping it would help him relax.

"Yeah, sure," he said, as he seated himself next to me. "I'm sorry about the others. I think it's because, we're all a bit stressed,"

"Why?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"Well, we went through a lot, and then you left," he answered, slowly. "And, things…changed,"

"But I'm here now," I said, watching him.

"Yeah, but six months is a long time…" he started, while staring at his hands that rested on his lap.

"None of you ever called," I interjected, watching as his eyes met mine. "I said repeatedly, you had to call,"

He was looking at me, as if he was trying to read me.

"I'm not psychic, you know," I added, he sighed. "Cal?"

"We didn't think it was right to disturb you," he said, finally.

"So you allowed yourselves to suffer, which is why, you all now hate me," I concluded, with a sigh.

He took me by the shoulders and looked at me.

"No, don't you dare even think that, we don't hate you," he said, seriously, the wind blowing his hair into his eyes. "We just have a bit of, misdirected disappointment and anger going on,"

He shook his head and tried blowing his hair out the way. I giggled a bit. A smile played on his lips, as he let go and sorted his hair.

"Silly Scottish weather," he grumbled. "I'm glad someone finds it amusing,"

"Sorry, but talking of weather, it looks like rain," I replied, glancing up at the darkening sky.

"Yeah, come on, we better get inside," he said, getting up and turning to me. "Before I start looking like I was dragged through a hedge backwards,"

"Okay," I said, as he took my arm in his and we walked back. "At least, I wasn't the last person to get here,"

"What do you mean?" asked Cal, glancing at me.

"The Hotel woman said two other people had yet to show," I answered, slowly.

"Annie McClide?" he queried, as we rounded the corner.

"If she's the manager, then yes," I responded, as we ascended the steps.

"I wonder who they were?" he said, I could see he was thinking.

"Well, why don't we check the list?" I suggested, with a shrug. "I wanted to look at it anyway, and I doubt I can see it without you or Chloe present,"

"Okay, let's do that now," he responded, holding the door open for me.

We approached the desk and rang the bell. After waiting a few minutes, Annie McClide appeared.

"Hello, dears," she said, every time I heard her Scottish accent, it made me feel good to be back. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, my friend here told me, that you said two people hadn't turned up, and I wanted to check the list to see who it was," explained Cal, politely.

"Ah, yes, I remember," she responded, and then began searching for the file again. "Here we go,"

She handed Cal the whole file, and we opened it to find the list.

"Will that be all?" she now enquired.

"Yes, thank you," I said, giving her a smile.

"Okay, well call me when you've finished," she said, giving us one last look before leaving.

I now looked at the list. I wanted to know who was here, so that I would some idea of how many people I had to help. The list made me think of a character list, more then anything else. The whole list was in alphabetical order, and read as follows.

Richard Allen

Shea Allen

Madison Allen

Beth Barrington

Nikki Bolton

Joel Booth

Danny Brooks

Andrew Carter

Jason Collins

Rachel Cook

Andrew Cullen

Brent Cyr

Lucy Daramour

Marty Dunn

JD Dunn

Simon Forester

James Frost

Cole Harkin

Maggie Krell

Amy Lucas

Sparky Mackle

Jimmy Mance

Robin Matthews

Christina McCarthy

Abby Mills

Charlie Mills

Ruben Paris

Susan Peters

Shane Pierce

Malcolm Ross

Kelly Seaver

Darren Steavens

Lucy Turner

Christopher Sullivan

Thomas Wellington

Katherine Wellington

Trish Wellington

Ben Wellington

Sarah Vandeusen

I noticed that the two state police were not present, either they hadn't been invited or couldn't come. Neither was Deputy Garret or Deputy Lillis, I assumed for the same possible reasons as the state police.

"Well, I can tell you who isn't here. Cole Harken and Sparky Mackle," said Cal, looking down the list. "Sparky was busy, and Cole gave some other reason he couldn't make it,"

"So, I was the last here," I said, slightly sadly.

"Yeah, sorry," he said, peering at me.

"The other people, the ones I don't know, all friends of yours?" I asked, pointing them out to him.

"Some are friends of mine, and some are Chloe's," he said, starting to put the list away again.

"I see neither yours nor Chloe's parents are on it," I said, watching him. "Any reason why?"

"Chloe's parents are on holiday in Hawaii, so they sent her brother to document the wedding, and my parents…" he started, slowly.

"Cal?" I said, when he failed to continue.

"They just said they were unable to come, they didn't give a reason," he finished, finally.

"Isn't that a bit odd, I mean they got married here," I responded, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You'd think they'd want to see their son married here,"

"I don't know what to think. My cousin turned up, so at least I have one member of my family here," he said, sighing and then he paused, looking at me. "I don't suppose you'd fancy coming and having a cream tea with me?"

"Yeah sure, Scottish scones are the best," I said, with a smile.

After we'd given the file back to Annie, we headed off to the bar area, which during the day served things like cream teas. We sat at one of the window seats, sipping tea, and talking about stuff in general. It looked out on to the South lawn, which like the North, led down into trees. Outside, the rain pattered on the windows and the trees moved in the wind.

The entrance hall was empty, everyone either in their own rooms, each others or in the bar. Which is why no one, would see someone descend the stairs, and take a seat in one of the chairs by the fire. A few moments later, a second descended the stairs also, and glancing around, headed over to the first. They nodded greeting at each other, before the first one rose and led the way out into the rain. Moving carefully and keeping to the bushes, they made their way down the North lawn and into the edge of the trees. The first gave the second a smile and then launched forward, landing on four paws.

"Are you coming?" it questioned, its amber eyes studying the other.

The second took one last glance, before also launching forward and landing on four paws.

"Go on ahead," it replied, the first nodded and started to leave. "Oh and brother, don't do anything stupid,"

"Of course not Sister, don't take too long," he replied, giving her what could have been described as a smile.

He vanished into the shadows, leaving her standing in the trees. She again looked back up at the hotel. The wind ruffled her fur and the rain's strength was increasing, as it began to cut through to her skin. She sighed, the plan was going well so far, but how long would last. How long, before the Jumper realised that a Rogue was running the show? How long, before the Jumper realised that the Rogues, were once friends of hers? With those questions running through her mind, she turned and too vanished beneath the trees.

* * *

Darkness, all around. It had been dark for who knows how long, days, weeks, months. He was awake, though for how long he had been, he was unsure. Someone shifted in the darkness, someone in the same condition as him. Bound and gagged in the darkness, by people he'd never seen before. In fact, he'd no idea who the person was next to him. He tried to move, to peer through the black, but his eyes wouldn't comply, and his body snarled in pain. Or more to the fact, he snarled in pain, because of the movement.

Suddenly a crack of light appeared from somewhere, sharp and blinding. He pulled away from it, wanting to go back into the darkness. His brain telling him the light meant one of two things. Either: food, water and a trip to a toilet, or pain dealt by his captors. He desired the first one, but something was different about this visit.

"These are the two, Sir," said a man's voice, he couldn't see them properly only their silhouetted outlines. "We keep them reasonably well, though if the others get bored…then well, I think you can see what happens,"

"They are serving their purpose well," responded the other, another man, but this mans voice was harder, even remotely familiar.

"I assume you two will want to dispatch them yourselves, after your done," continued the first man.

"I think, you can have the honour, you have, so far, not disappointed me," replied the familiar one.

"It will be my pleasure, sir," said the first, his voice tinged with pride.

It made him feel sick, he just wished the light and the two men would leave. The other person was still shifting, he heard them moan slightly. Yet still, he could not identify them, his brain, like the rest of him, would not comply.

"Very good, lets see the rest then," said the familiar guy, and finally the darkness was restored as they left.

He relaxed into the dark once more, he could feel tiredness washing over him. He let it come, and fell happily back into the realms of unconsciousness…

* * *

So, what do we think. Were we expecting any of it? I really hope you are all enjoying this one as much as the last. So any comments, questions, and such, make my day brighter and just press that button that says review...*Puppy Dog Eyes*


	4. Chapter 4 The Truth Begins to Surface

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, thanks to HonoraryDAMember, January Raines and Neon Jack for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember** we will see how Rebecca does. I hope you are enjoying this. **To January Raines** I'm glad you like it, as for people being nasty well they have their reasons. As for who are the two Rogues well guessing can continue. I hope you like this chapter too. **To Neon Jack** I'm happy your enjoying it. I see where you got confused and put a break in there. Hope you like this one.

Okay, I apologize for taking a while. I have been busy sorting degree stuff. I hope you like this chapter. It does seem to feature one character more then others, but as not many people are talking to Rebecca at the mo, it limits who she can converse with. The guessing game is still going and I can tell you there may have been a hint, to who, at least, one of them is in the previous chapter.

Now here's a warning as to some words of bad language in this chapter. So you're warned. So read on dear readers, hopefully enjoy and don't forget to review!

* * *

**_Chapter four-The Truth Begins to Surface_**

As the afternoon drew on, the weather worsened. Once Cal and I had finished,he decided he wanted me to meet his cousin. He led me up stairs to the first floor, and along one corridor and then another. We finally stopped outside of room 16. He knocked twice and we waited. The door finally opened to reveal a pretty young woman. She was shorter then me, about 5'7', 5'8', with blonde hair, which was slightly darker then her cousin. She had chocolate brown eyes, and a light speckling of freckles on her face.

"Cal?" she questioned, as she looked us both up and down. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Sarah, I'd like you to meet a very good friend of mine," he said, cheerfully. "This is Rebecca Jacobs, she comes from Yorkshire,"

"Oh, nice to meet you," she said, holding out her hand to me.

"Likewise," I responded, taking her hand in mine and shaking it.

"Well, come in," she said, now standing aside.

We entered her room, which was much like mine, apart from a few things in different places. She indicated for me to sit down on the bed, while Cal sat in the chair. She talked as she moved around.

"So, you're the one who's causing all the commotion," she started, while picking something off her dresser. "I'm guessing you know a lot of these people?"

"Um, yeah, we have…history," I replied, slowly. "I'm sorry about all the fuss…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," she interjected, turning to me. "There was commotion before you came too. Yesterday was like a war zone,"

I spotted, out of the corner of my eye, Cal giving her a look.

"A war zone?" I said, looking between them.

"Well," she started, then spotting Cal's look, paused. "What's that for?"

I realised she was directing her question at Cal. I gave him a look too.

"Look, I know your not telling me stuff," I said, slowly not taking my eyes from him. "So let her explain,"

He sighed and waved a hand at her to continue, while resting his head against the other.

"Well, first of all there were the arguments, a lot of those people appear not to get on," she started, now leaning against one wall. "Then when some discovered that some people, I think it was you maybe, hadn't arrived, there was more shouting. There was a lot of hostility and when we had food, there was silence in the room,"

"I see," I responded, nodding.

"But, that's not the worst of it," she continued, and I saw Cal start to look up. "In the evening, most of them got really drunk, like they wanted to make something go away, or they wanted to pass out. No wonder, cause last night, that's when the…"

"Sarah, it's not your place to discuss such things," said Cal, a little more stern then I was used to. "That's for them to sort out and discuss, when they're ready,"

"But," she tried.

"No, now, I'm sure Rebecca still needs to sort stuff, so we'll be going," he said, getting up and heading for the door. "We'll see you later. Come on, Rebecca,"

I followed him out, nodding goodbye to Sarah, and he shut the door behind me. We got partway down the corridor, before I cornered him.

"Cal, wait a minute," I said, taking him aside and staring at him. "You can't keep hiding things from me, I will find out and when I do…"

"I'm just thinking that the others should be allowed to tell you in their own time, rather then you having to force them, don't you agree?" he replied, a little calmer.

"I do, but I need to have some idea of what I'm dealing with here," I responded, with a quick glance around. "I can't help them if I don't,"

"I have a feeling, whether they like it or not, that you find out most likely tonight," he said, slowly looking at me. "It's almost a certainty,"

"Okay, but I'm not impressed at all, how this has gone down so far," I said, with a sigh. "Since they won't talk to me, someone should let them know that unless they do, what ever is going on, will get worse and worse. It won't go away, it will be with them forever, unless they let me help them,"

Cal looked at me, I could see in his eyes, as with most of the others, the same haunted look. He too was struggling with something, and I was determined to find out what.

Dinner was the same as lunch; people, sat round staring at their food, some occasionally eating it. I was sat at the same table, yet this time, I had JD sat with me too. He at least was speaking to me, about everything, except what was going on. He told me some things, how he and Kelly had got together properly, and how he'd got a job working as someone for people to talk to about their problems, one of those helpline people. He'd even managed, to be on slightly better terms with Shane. I was impressed and I let him know I was. He smiled and looked at me.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier today," he said, slowly.

"Don't be, the fact is, you're talking to me and that means you're already making more progress, then a lot of people here," I said, looking him in the eye.

"Some of the others are struggling, their in a lot of pain," he said, glancing around. "I know you know this, and I also believe that you can get through to them,"

I saw the honesty in his eyes, and the fact he believed in me at all, made me feel better.

"Let them come to you," he continued, peering at me. "Just give them a chance to get themselves straight, so they can. They are glad to see you, whatever they might say, and you know I'm right,"

"Thanks, JD," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You always were a good friend, and I think that job of yours has helped,"

He gave me a grin, as he realised just how much of a councillor he had sounded.

At the end of dinner, Cal stood up and announced the drinks part of the evening would be starting in an hour and a half. People nodded and started getting up, to go get ready. As I was heading out of the room, I spotted a young man who was staring at me. He was tall and quite broad shouldered. He had slightly floppy, short, light brown hair and brown eyes. He wasn't bad looking, but nothing about him would have made him truly stand out to me for any other reason, except that he was giving me an evil eye. He was staring at me, as if I personally had just gone and killed his family and the fact was, I'd never seen him before. I moved now, out of the room, away from the glaring man and found myself walking almost in step with Shane. I glanced at him, noting his tired look, and sighed.

"What was that for?" he asked, looking at me.

"I just feel, as if everything I did was for nothing," I said, as we reached the entrance hall.

I then had a funny feeling, as if the few other people who were walking in the same direction as us, had all turned their attention to me.

"What do you mean?" he asked, pausing and looking at me.

I was stood in the entrance hall, staring at the fire.

"The reason, I spent ten years on an island, the reason, I came three years before the first…of Wakefield's attacks," I said, trying to phrase it carefully, then I turned to him. "Was to build up trust. So when the time came, you would all trust me, and now most of you won't even acknowledge me,"

Shane was looking at me. Nikki, Malcolm, Trish and Booth who had stopped to listen, now either glanced away or continued up the stairs.

"I'm not the best person to help you with this," he said, finally, his eyes meeting mine.

"I know, I'm sorry, but apart from about four others, you're the only one who will talk to me," I said, sadly coming closer.

He sighed, I could see that there was something he wanted to say, but for some reason he couldn't. He finally just changed the subject.

"So, what are you going to do now?" he asked, eventually, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"I suppose, sort some stuff and then get ready for tonight's thing," I said, with a slight shrug. "You?"

"I don't know, I'm not really used to these…Swell doos," he said, giving me a look.

I smiled.

"Please, tell me you ain't gonna turn up looking like…that," I said, a smile playing on my lips.

"What's wrong with it?" he asked, indicating to the old t-shirt, jeans and a pair of shoes I was pretty sure, I'd seen him wearing when I first met him on Harper's.

"Let's just say, it's not the done thing," I said, with a cheeky grin.

"You mean, it's not the Swell thing to do," he said, sliding an arm round my shoulder.

"Just possibly," I said, trying not to laugh.

He turned me towards the stairs, and we started to walk that way.

"Could you do me a favour then?" he said, as we ascended the stairs.

"What?" I asked, a sneaking suspicion that I already knew.

"Do you think, I could trust you to find me something to wear?" he asked, his grin widening. "That's assuming, you'd like me to turn up and not embarrass you?"

"Why would you embarrass me?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh well, I thought, as I was 'one of the only ones talking to you', that I would most likely hang around with you 'all' evening," he said, with a slightly evil grin.

I swung round on him, feigning horror and we laughed.

"Right, I better help you find something then," I said, and took him by the arm. "Lead the way,"

He chuckled and off we went. He happened to be on the same floor as me, and, to my slight discomfort, I discovered he was next door to Jimmy. He told me not to worry and opened his door, holding it open for me. His room, lucky for him, had a different theme, or at least, it didn't have all the pink flowery stuff. Something told me, Shane would have complained…a lot. I opened his wardrobe to find his usual attire. There were, thank god, some shirts, but I had to say I'd never seen him wear them.

"Well, I think a shirt and a clean pair of jeans, since you have no other trousers," I suggested, flicking through the clothes.

"What?" he said, giving me a funny look.

"Oh, right sorry, in American terminology, no other pants," I corrected, so he knew what I meant.

"Sorry, forgot about you British-isms," he said, with a smile.

"No worries, you got any other shoes?" I asked, glancing around. "Cause, we are going to have to find you some things for the actual wedding it's self,"

"I have another pair, but they're not much better," he called, as he'd gone into the bathroom without me noticing.

"Well, you could ask Jimmy," I replied, taking out the things I'd chosen. "He had a few pair of shoes that were smart, and they should just about fit you,"

"I'll see," he responded.

"You should also ask him, if he has a spare tie," I continued.

"No way!" he snapped, sticking his head round the bathroom door. "I draw the line at a tie,"

"You'll never get into some places, I know then," I replied, smiling at him. "They won't let you in without a shirt, tie and shoes,"

"Fine, but only to the wedding, not tonight," he conceded, shutting the door again.

"Oh, and while your in there, you should shave," I called, to him.

In my mind, I could see him rolling his eyes.

"The rugged look is fine if you're fishing, but not really for tonight," I said, laughing at the expression the Shane in my mind was now wearing.

"Whatever, don't you have to get ready too?" he mumbled, from the bathroom.

"Okay, only trying to help," I said, glancing at the door. "I'll see you down there,"

"Right, see ya," he responded.

I exited the room and headed for my own. I had plenty of time, but I still didn't know what to wear. After a shower, I finally chose a knee length black dress, dark silver grey strap heels and matching jewellery. I put on a small amount of makeup, and ran a brush through my hair. I took a breath, and picking up my small black bag, I headed down. I felt like it was the first day at a new school, or someone going to their first prom. I made my way through and into the bar. There were people already there, mingling in their friendship groups. As I walked through the room, heads did turn to me. I even saw Sully giving me a once over. I reached the bar and ordered a drink, and then just stood there and glanced around the room.

More people were soon appearing, and Chloe, who had been talking to Beth, now chose to come over.

"Hey, you're looking gorgeous," she said, grinning and hugging me. "Are you alright?"

As she said this, her eyes flitted to Sully and back.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, ignoring the fact, that again I saw Sully glance my way.

"Well, how about I introduce you to some people you don't know?" she asked, putting her arm around my waste and squeezing.

"Yeah, okay," I nodded, and allowed her to guide me away.

There were twelve new people for me to meet and one I had already met. Chloe first introduced me to Amy Lucas, she was about 5'6' with long brown hair and green eyes. She was a reporter, and as well as being Chloe's friend, she was also there to write up the wedding for a colleague of hers at the paper. She had been stood with two guys, one called Ruben Paris and the other was Simon Forester. Ruben was Latin American. He had short black hair, dark brown eyes and stood at about 6'1'. He was also a friend of Chloe's, and worked in the film business as a special effects artist. Simon Forester was a friend of Cal's, he was an first responder paramedic. He, like Ruben, was about 6'1'. He had dark brown hair and hazel eyes. They were all pretty pleasant, and seemed to not be bothered by how the rest were reacting to me. Next we moved on to two ladies who were stood, rather to my annoyance, or more likely to my jealousy, eyeing Sully and the other three up. I caught part of their conversation, as we approached.

"They're all single, at least that's what I was told," said one, who had honey blonde hair.

"Well, the dark skinned one and the blonde, are the best out of the four," replied the other, who had mahogany brown hair. "And there is two of us,"

"You thinking, what I'm thinking?" asked honey blonde, with a wink at the other. "Which one do you prefer?"

"Well, I have always had a thing for dark guys," she murmured, with a smile.

"I was hoping you'd say that," honey blonde replied, then she saw Chloe. "Oh hey Chloe,"

"Hi, I would like you to meet a good friend of mine," she said, glancing between the two. "This is Rebecca Jacobs, Rebecca meet Christina McCarthy and Lucy Turner,"

"Hi," I said, trying to keep control of my feelings.

Christina was the honey blonde, she had blue eyes and stood at about 5'8'. Lucy also had blue eyes and was only slightly shorter then Christina.

"We were just discussing the guys here," announced Christina, with a cheeky grin.

"Any taken your fancy?" I said, my voice slightly hard.

Chloe glanced at me.

"Well, the four over there," responded Lucy, indicating to Sully and the guys. "We hear, they are all single,"

Chloe now realised the reason for my manner of speaking.

"Well," started Chloe. "Three of them are, ones sorta taken,"

"Oh, which?" questioned Christina.

"The blonde guy, Sully," she said, I glanced at her.

"Oh, it's just the beer guy said they were all single," replied Lucy, Christina nodded in agreement.

"You mean Malcolm?" I said, giving them a look.

"Yeah him," said Lucy, she glanced around. "So who's Sully's girlfriend then?"

"Well, he's sorta in and out at the moment, just trust me and don't try anything with him," said Chloe, her tone serious. "He's not available,"

"Well, we'll see," said Christina, tugging at her lip and smiling.

"I mean it," said Chloe, giving her a look. "Come on, Rebecca. Let's continue,"

We headed off, I glanced back at them, as they began to head for the boys. I turned away, not wanting to think about it. As we were heading to some more people, the music started up. I sighed; as I watched people start to move to dance. The next people I met, were Jason Collins, Rachel Cook and James Frost. Jason had dark brown hair, blue eyes and was about my height 5'10'. He was a pilot in the RAF and a good mate of Cal's, he'd known him since secondary school. Rachel was pretty, she was brunette, her slightly curly hair down to her shoulders. She had light green/blue eyes, and freckles on her nose. Her job, was working in the Music business as a producer. James was dark skinned like Danny, his head was shaven and he had dark eyes. He was about 6'2' and was a vet. I didn't think a man of his build would be a vet, but apparently he'd done some time in the marines, as they had paid for his degree.

Chloe and I went back to the bar to get a refill. As we stood waiting for the one of the bartenders to get the drinks, I spotted JD and Kelly dancing on the dance floor. They weren't the only ones, Nikki and Ben were there too. I had just got my refill, when I spotted, to my disappointment, Danny and Sully dancing with Christina and Lucy. Chloe saw my look, and proceeded to distract me by telling me there was still people I hadn't met. She guided me over to a couple of people, who were chatting amicably. One was a woman, about 5'8' with curly blonde hair and dark brown eyes. She smiled as we approached. The man she was chatting to, had floppy blonde hair and light brown eyes. He stood at about 6'2' and the two looked almost like a couple. They apparently weren't, however. The woman, Susan Peters was a lawyer while the man, Darren Steavens was a mechanic. Susan, Chloe had known from university and was also Chloe's actual lawyer. They were all nice people, even the two who had gone after the guys. Chloe left us talking, to go and find Cal, and I soon made an excuse and headed back to the bar.

It was while I was stood there, before Shane finally made an appearance. He didn't look half bad as he entered with Jimmy, who also was looking pretty good. Shane made a few heads turn, I think more out of shock, then any thing else. Chloe and Trish even complemented him, as they passed. I, however, focussed on Jimmy as he scanned the room and spotting Abby off to my left, he instead headed for the other end of the room. Shane gave me a nod, before heading off after Jimmy. I spotted Abby watching Jimmy too, and I wondered what I was missing. Why were they seemingly avoiding each other, I thought. I looked back and forth between the two and stopped, as I saw Abby had noticed my expression. She gave me a sad look, before turning away and starting a conversation with the nearest person to her. I was obviously, not going to find out what the trouble was tonight. I sighed and sipped my drink. I was so engrossed in the goings on of Abby and Jimmy, I never noticed people come up to the bar on my right. I was just turning, to see if I could spot someone to talk to, when I collided with the person to my right. They had just been turning to leave, drinks in their hands, as I had turned too. How we avoided throwing drinks down each other, I would never know, but as I focused on the person, apologising profusely, I found a pair of familiar blue eyes.

"I'm so sorry," I said, staring at Sully and then the floor.

"No, no, it was my fault," he replied, shaking his head and placing the drinks down on the bar. "Wasn't looking where I was going,"

"Yes you were, I was the one who made the wrong move," I said, looking him up and down. "I didn't spill any on you did I?"

"No," he said, glancing down at himself.

"Good," I said, his eyes met mine.

I searched them for what I had seen earlier, but thankfully it wasn't there. He came a little closer, and I could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"You look beautiful tonight," he said, quietly, glancing down and then meeting my eyes.

"You don't look bad yourself, in fact I'd say, you're the best dressed guy here," I said, trying to keep the unsurity out of my voice.

"Well," he replied, glancing around. "I think Shane actually wins that tonight,"

I grinned and he smiled.

"Well, okay, yeah, I suppose he does," I said, laughing slightly.

"You did well with him," he said, turning now to pick up his drinks again.

I gave him a look.

"Oh, I overheard him asking for your help," he responded, to my look.

"Ah, well, I best not keep you from those lovely ladies over there," I said, slowly.

He looked from me, over to where Christina and Lucy were stood with Danny, Malcolm and Booth. I watched him, as he seemed to pause. He then looked back at me.

"I suppose," he said, slowly. "Have a good night,"

"You too," I said, giving him a soft smile.

He gave me one last look and smiled back, before walking away.

The night rolled on, the music playing and people enjoying themselves. I was still stood by the bar, mouthing the words to Alive and Kicking by Simple Minds. Some people were dancing, but most were sat down. It was, to be fair, quarter past ten, but again, they just didn't seem to be in the mood. I saw Danny dancing with Lucy, but Christina was dancing with a rather nervous Booth. I glanced around and found Sully was sat down with Malcolm seemingly lost in thought.

I was just thinking about ordering another drink, when I got the feeling I was being watched. I searched the room and found once again, I was under scrutiny from the same young man. He was sat a table to my left, near the bar, and he now got up and approached me. I turned to meet him.

"Hi," I said, unsure what to say.

He looked at me, and then turned to the bar. I turned too; I planned to get another drink.

"Think you're so smart, don't ya?" said the man, out of the blue.

"Sorry?" I said, wondering what his beef with me was.

"You come in and turn people's lives upside down, and then don't finish what you started," he continued, never looking at me. "But, that's how you work isn't it,"

"I'm not sure, I follow," I said, an uneasy feeling raising it's head.

"Most of the people in this room, know what I'm talking about," he said, as the bartender approached me.

"What can I get you?" the bartender asked me.

"That's right, serve her first," scowled the man.

"The same," I replied, before turning to the man. "So, who is I'm conversing with?"

"Name's Andrew Carter," he replied, looking at me with contempt. "You know, Chloe's brother,"

"What's your problem with me?" I asked, giving him a look.

"What's my problem, I don't like what you are," he snarled, coming closer. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't understand why, but I'm not going to give you what you want," I said, squaring up to him.

"What do I want?" he said, his face too close to mine for comfort.

"An emotional outburst," I replied, calmly.

He laughed and took hold of my chin, squeezing my face.

"Is that you trying to be smart with me, little girl?" he said, I could smell the stink of alcohol on him.

"I think, you've had a little too much," I tried, my right hand now taking a grip on the wrist of his hand, that held my face.

"I don't care what you think. Nobody here does, they all hate you, they're just to good to tell you that," he snarled, squeezing harder.

It hurt and I could feel tears forming in my eyes, but I held them back

"You don't know anything," I said, still trying to be calm.

"Oi!" snapped the bartender, who had been serving me, but had to get a refill of vodka from the back "Let her go,"

"Very well," he snapped, with a cruel look.

He then shoved my head back, and the rest of me, followed suit. My left hand tried, and failed to use the bar to stop me falling, and down I went, knocking the glass with my drink as I did. I hit the floor hard, and the music cut out as I did. There was silence.

"Now, you're in your rightful place, bitch!" he spat, and then made to actually slap me while I was down.

"Don't you lay a hand on her!" snarled a voice, I knew.

Shane grabbed Andrew's arm, and shoved him back. He then got in between Andrew and I. Andrew glared, but he didn't back down. He made a move on Shane, Chloe yelled, but Shane blocked the move and brought Andrew's arm up behind his back, slamming him against the bar. Shane lent in close to Andrew.

"You touch her again and I'll break your shit off," he growled, quietly. "Now piss off,"

He shoved him towards the main group of people. Andrew pulled his jacket up, and disappeared off. Shane turned to me and glanced down at me. I looked at him and glanced round the room. I saw Sully, his expression seemed to give off concern. In fact, most of the people I knew seemed rather concerned, as if they did actually give a damn that I'd just been slammed into the floor.

I picked myself up and the bartender got me another drink. Shane said nothing to me, he just stood there. He got himself a drink, after giving me a look over and then headed to go and sit down on a sofa, that, as I was facing the bar, was now off to my right. I sighed, and stood there taking in what had just happened. I glanced right, and saw Shane was sat alone on the sofa. He'd been watching me, but as I looked his way, he looked away. I smiled to myself and went and sat by him.

"Thanks," I said, quietly.

"He shouldn't have done that," growled Shane, quietly.

"He was drunk," I said, slowly leaning back against the sofa.

"It doesn't excuse what he did," he said, glancing at me, he paused. "Your arm…"

I glanced down, and saw it was bleeding where the glass had caught the skin.

"It's nothing," I replied, giving him a reassuring smile. "You had a good night?

"Don't change the subject," he said, placing his glass down and heading to the bar.

He came back with a couple of paper towels and handed me them. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Cheers," I said, taking them from him.

We sat in silence for a bit, watching people circulate. Then out of the crowd, came a frantic looking Chloe. She took one look at the paper towels on my arm, and her expression worsened.

"Oh god, he didn't do that did he?" she said, pointing to my arm. "I'm so sorry about the behaviour of my brother,"

"He went for her like some crazy," snapped Shane, the anger in him rising again. "Went for me too,"

"I'm sorry, ever since…well since I told him and then he found out you were coming to the wedding," she tried to explain. "He just doesn't, well I'm not sure why he doesn't like what you did,"

"You mean, he doesn't like the fact I jumped you, that I saved you?" I asked, calmly.

"Yeah, I think," she said, kneeling down in front of me to look at my arm.

"It's a common reaction," I said, slowly.

"He's just an arse," grumbled Shane, giving Chloe a look.

"Shane, it doesn't matter, just let it go," I said, wincing as Chloe peeled off the towels.

"I have a good mind to go and…" he started, I saw Chloe look worried.

"No," I interjected. "Just leave it, please,"

I rested my left hand on his arm, and gave him a look.

"Please?" I said, softly.

"Fine," he sighed, and then he relaxed back.

"You'll need some antiseptic on this," said Chloe, now, pointing to the cut.

"It'll be fine, thanks, Chloe," I said, kindly.

She stood up with an almost embarrassed look on her pretty face.

"Once again, I'm really sorry," she said, running a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry, go and have some fun," I said, giving her a smile.

She nodded and turned heading back into the crowd, passing Danny and Sully. I saw them both looking at my arm. I looked away, and chose to talk to Shane. He was sat there, resting his head back against the sofa.

"You tired?" I asked, quietly.

"Mmm," he replied, sitting up slightly and taking hold of his glass. "A bit,"

"Why don't you go get some sleep?" I asked, think it was the obvious thing to do.

He looked at me, an uneasiness in his eyes.

"Then who would you talk to?" he questioned, stopping me from asking what the look had been for.

"Well, there's always Fred, or Fred or even Fred," I said, keeping my face as serious as possible.

He gave me a look.

"There ain't no Fred," he said, finally.

We both looked at each other, before grinning.

"Okay, so I'd have no one, I'm sure I could go and make some friends," I said, indicating to the other people.

"Right," he said, rolling his eyes a little.

He finished his beer and reclined his head back again. He took a deep calming breath, relaxing.

"So, you're going to go to sleep here instead?" I asked, giving him a look he'd never see.

"I'm just resting my eyes," he mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah," I responded, shaking my head. "Look, if you're going to nap, why not use my shoulder?"

"Cause, that's not fair on you," he said, opening his eyes a little. "I'm fine like this,"

"Well, it's not like I'm going anywhere," I said, with a sigh.

"Well, people will think it's weird," he murmured, shifting to get comfy.

"Fine," I said, feeling defeated.

I glanced round the room. I could spot a lot of tired folk, but none of them looked like they were heading to bed. I glanced again at Shane, whose head was starting to slump, along with the rest of him, in my direction anyway. I sighed, and carefully made to manoeuvre him a little. He surprisingly didn't resist and allowed me to move him, so his head rested on my shoulder.

I'd been sat there for half an hour, watching people mill about. One of the new girls I had met, Lucy Turner, seemed to have given up on Danny, and was now hitting on one of the bartenders. He seemed to be enjoying the attention he was getting from her. As people had stopped buying drinks and it was almost closing time anyway, he was having a drink with her. Danny didn't seem to mind at all, in fact, he seemed to be getting on with Christina. Cal and Chloe were slow dancing together, along with Richard and Shea. Madison, I assumed, had been put to bed a while back. Most people were sat about.

At twelve, there was actual movement towards the bedrooms. I smiled and turned to Shane.

"Shane?" I said, shaking him a little. "Wake up, sweetie,"

He barely responded.

"Come on big guy," I said, shoving him up. "Time to go to bed,"

"Mmm," he groaned.

He came round slowly, blinking rapidly and then yawning.

"Let's go," I said, indicating to the door.

He nodded and stumbled to his feet. I paused; making sure he wouldn't fall, but he steadied himself and we headed out the room. As we reached the entrance hall, I spotted the bartender and Lucy making out by the fire. I laughed to myself and continued upstairs. Shane made his way slowly up the first flight, and I waited for him at the top.

"When was the last time you got a good night's sleep?" I asked, moving out the way of Trish and Thomas, who had been coming up behind me.

"A while," he answered, looking at me.

"Well, what say you to letting me help you out?" I said, quietly.

He gave me a funny look.

"I know a technique that will help you have a good night's sleep," I said, with a shrug. "Your choice,"

He sighed.

"What does it involve?" he questioned, as we started on the second flight of stairs.

"It's just a relaxing technique, I mean, how'd you sleep when we were down there?" I said, watching him.

"Fine. Are you trying to tell me you used something on me without asking?" he said, with a slightly annoyed look.

"No, but I have a natural ability to encourage sleep in my Saves," I explained, slowly. "It's hard to explain,"

"Mmm, okay then," he said, finally.

"Okay, go get ready for bed and I'll drop by in ten minutes," I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

When I came back, I knocked and Shane mumbled me in. He was lying down, propped up on a pillow, and had a sceptical look on his face. I encouraged him to lie down properly, and he did so. He gave me a look, that said he felt a bit awkward about this.

"Look, you don't have to do this," I said, standing back.

"No, go on," he said, as he settled himself.

"Okay, so shut your eyes and relax," I said, relaxing myself.

He did so and I came closer. I watched him. He lay there and slowly a smile formed on his face, and then he just started laughing.

"Shane, that's not helping," I said, smiling myself.

"Sorry," he said, trying to suppress his hysteria.

"Okay, I'm gonna sit over here, you just relax with your eyes closed," I said, moving away and taking a seat.

"Okay," he replied.

He fell silent and I sat there waiting. After about fifteen minutes, his breathing had begun to slow and I knew he was gone. I got up quietly and approached him. He was sleeping lightly, and he needed to go deeper. I concentrated and gently placed my first finger on his temple. I ran it down the side of his face to just below his chin while whispering to him. His breathing slowly deepened and slowed. When he was deep enough, I gently kissed him on the forehead and headed for the door. I undid the latch and shut it behind me quietly.

I felt good, as I headed to my own room. Once in, I got ready for bed and climbed in under the covers. I had made a little progress and it felt good. I relaxed and shut my eyes, falling almost instantly asleep.

A piercing scream, tore through the hotel. It was full of terror and pain, and it went on and on. I sat up rapidly in bed, a wave of dread washing over me. I pulled on my dressing gown and shoved on my slippers, then grabbing my key, ran out my door. It wasn't on my floor, it was below me. I dashed down the stairs, my ears pinpointing the location. I came to a halt outside room 8 and tried the handle. It was locked, I paused and then shoved at the door. It wouldn't budge. Then I remembered something and shot back upstairs. Re-entering my room, I grabbed something out a pocket in the rucksack and ran back to room 8. I shoved the little rusty key in the lock and turned it. A click came and I entered the dark room. I had already heard the sounds of movement from other rooms. I searched for the bed, my eyes rapidly adjusting.

Trish was rolling around, her limbs moving violently. She was still asleep, but she was screaming. I had seen it before, and it hurt to witness it again. I moved swiftly to her and, as best as I could, took her by her shoulders.

"Trish, Trish!" I said, as calmly as I could. "Trish, you gotta wake up,"

I heard someone reach the door, but I didn't look up.

"Trish! Come back to me, it's a dream, Trish," I continued, raising the volume of my voice, but staying calm. "Wake up, Come on, Trish!"

Suddenly she gasped and her eyes shot open. More people had joined the first at the door. She grabbed on to me, her shoulders shaking, as violent sobs took over her body. I held on to her tightly, rubbing her back.

"Shuuuuuush," I said, rocking her back and forth. "It's over now, it was just a dream, it can't hurt you,"

She just kept sobbing, and tightening her grip on me. I now glanced over at the door. Thomas and Shea were at the front. Further back, I spotted Chloe and Cal, Beth, my Lucy, Booth and even Sully. I stared at them all, suppressing the disappointment and anger I felt. Cal and Chloe looked at the floor. The rest had awkward looks.

"Thomas, Shea, if you want you can stay," I said, deadly calm. "The rest of you go back to bed, now,"

They did what they were told. Shea and Thomas came into the room, and sat on the bed. Trish still clutched onto me, but exhaustion was starting to overcome her crying. I shook my head at Shea and Thomas, and turned my attention to Trish.

"Okay, just relax," I said, quietly. "I'm gonna help you get some sleep, do you trust me?"

She nodded, and pulled me a little closer.

"Okay darling, you're going to have to lie down," I said, carefully moving her.

I lay her down and encouraged her to let go. She did, but she still was a little shaky.

"I…I don't want to…" she stammered.

"It's okay, you won't see anything bad," I replied, calmly. "I'm just going to give you some well deserved rest,"

She looked at me, her eyes still glassy.

"You'll be fine," I said, looking at her. "Now shut your eyes and relax,"

She took a breath and did so. I held her hand and slowly, like Shane, she fell asleep again. I then gently ran my finger down from her temple, whispering softly, and her breathing deepened. Once I was happy, I got up and glanced at the two Wellingtons.

"She'll sleep fine," I informed them. "If you want to stay, you can,"

I turned to leave.

"Rebecca?" said Thomas, quietly.

I turned and met his eyes.

"Thank you," he said, sincerely.

I nodded and left, returning to my room. I sat down on the bed and placed my head in my hands. I sighed, slowly running my hands down my face. So it was serious, they were suffering a lot and I would have my work cut out. I got back into bed, my mind whirling. Why hadn't they called, why had they let it get this bad. No more secrets, I decided. Later today, whether they liked it or not, I was going to get answers…

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So what did we think? Are we enjoying it? I hope you are. Did we expect what happened to happen? I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as possible. So if you feel like voicing your opinions, just press the review button and make my day! *Puppy Dog Eyes*


	5. Chapter 5 Life Hurts

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, i'm really sorry for taking so long with this chapter, been so busy with work and other stuff i've just not had time to write it. Please forgive me.

So thanks to HonoraryDAMember, January Raines, Neon Jack and Becca85 for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember** I'm happy your liking it, Shane isn't as bad as he seemed, he's a good guy really. As for girls hitting on Sully, well he, like the rest, still has issues. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **To January Raines** hope you enjoy this chapter, as for Andrew we will see what happens. Care to take a guess at the Rogues? Thanks for your extra review, it helps to have encouragement! Enjoy. **To Neon Jack** much tension to come and whether Rebecca can fix it is another matter. Hope you like this chapter. **To Becca** first of all it's good to have you back. Now to your questions, yes it was James Bond in the first chapter, mainly to show Rebecca can go anywhere and I have to admit I'm a fan of the Princess Bride, but I didn't think of that scene till you reminded me of it. I have no beta, and i do try to avoid spelling mistakes. The Isle of Farnon is not a real place at least in this dimension lol, I based it on several memories of areas I've been and sort of made it my own. The Captain's character is fun and he's actually from a different show, though it's a very vague reference lol. I'm studying Geology at uni, with a hope to do a masters in Palaeontology. Your theories are fascinating and hope you will continue to think about them as you read this chapter. So I hope you enjoy it.

Now I will continue to try and get chapters up. I do have exams and then field work for my dissertation, so I will do my best. Please try and be patient with me, though extra reviews are very encouraging lol.

Now be warned there are several words of bad language in this chapter. So you are warned, and without further ado read on and enjoy dear readers...don't forget to review...

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**_Chapter five-Life Hurts_**

It was the wind rustling through the trees that woke her. Lucy slowly took in her surroundings. She was lying on the forest floor, dark trees surrounded her, the scents of outside filling her nose. She sat up slowly, and racked her foggy brain as to how she'd ended up here. The night had been going well, she remembered dancing with Danny and then been sat at the bar, talking to a bartender. David, that had been his name, had taken interest in her, and she'd liked it. He was good looking, not as great as some of the guys there, but not bad. In fact, they'd headed off together and made out by the fire.

It was then she remembered they'd for some reason decided to go back to his place, but his car wouldn't start, so they'd walked. Yet passion had overcome them, long before they reached his house and, even though it was still raining, they'd headed a little into the trees. Dripping wet, they had given into their passion and later fallen asleep in each others arms. Now she understood, she glanced round looking for David. Surely he wouldn't have left her alone to find her way back. She couldn't see him though, she stood up and tried to get her bearings. The wind ruffled her hair, at least it wasn't raining still, she thought. Her clothing was still wet however, and she felt the cold grip her. She set off finally, in the direction she had worked it out to be.

As she walked, she thought about how she always seemed unable to pick a good guy. Danny had been nice, but there had been something about him, that had made her decide he wasn't for her. Maybe she'd been wrong, after all, that girl Rebecca had brought something strange out in most of the people here. She sighed, why she had not just stuck with her first choice she'd never know. A sound somewhere behind her made her jump and turn, but there was nothing there. She shook her head, she was being stupid, yet she still quickened her pace.

She was starting to feel that the trees would never end. Maybe, she thought, she should have gone back to the road. She'd have had more of a chance of finding her way back. She found herself glancing around again. That's when she spotted someone, further along in front of her. The way the shadows of the trees were, meant she couldn't tell if they were moving or not. They were definitely facing away from her. Maybe David hadn't left her after all, she thought. She quickened again to catch up to them.

"David?" she called out, to the person.

They didn't respond and as she got closer, she realised it wasn't David. It was a guy, but he was slightly taller then David, his hair a little darker brown.

"Um, excuse me?" she now asked.

The guy turned slowly, and looked her up and down. She had to admit, he wasn't bad looking either. His brown eyes sparkled with mischief, or maybe it was something else. He had a friendly smile on his face.

"Can I help you?" he questioned, his accent clearly American.

"Um, do you know the way back to the hotel?" she questioned, watching his expression.

"The Craiglaren Hotel?" he questioned, moving his head as if to get a better look at her.

"Yeah, I think that's it's name," she said, a slightly uneasy feeling washing over her.

"Yep, just keep going the way your going," he nodded, indicating behind him. "At least, that's what the young man that I met, who passed me earlier, said,"

"Was he a bartender?" she asked, her face unsure.

"A bartender, yes, I think that's what he said," nodded the man, still smiling.

She felt slight anger build in her, but she shoved it down. The man watched her thinking, and out of the corner of her eye she though she saw something. The shadows of the trees moved for a moment, the wind whistling, and that smile of that guy didn't look so genuine.

"Thanks," she said, giving him a smile, but really wanting to leave.

He stepped aside and let her pass. She nodded and glancing at him as she passed, she set off again. He didn't move to follow her, but she still almost jogged as she headed on. Her dress made it hard to move quickly, but she didn't care. She had this uneasy feeling she couldn't shake. Up ahead, she thought she could see the edge of the trees, but that's when she heard a strange sound. Off to her left, came a strange snarl, like a dog, or a wolf. She stopped and peered through the trees. There was nothing though, and she continued. Then the sound came again and whether her eyes were playing tricks or not, she swore she saw a huge black wolf-like creature trotting along to her left. Fear started flowing and she moved faster, but what made her run was the sound that came from behind. The sound of running footsteps pounding up behind her, causing a chill to run down her spine, meant one thing to her. The creepy man from before, was coming for her.

She ran now, losing her shoes along the way and not caring. She ran blindly, desperate to reach the end of the trees. She kept looking back and even though she couldn't see her pursuer, she knew he was there. The wolf thing was bounding along too, and she was sure there was some creature to her right. She had nowhere to run, but forward. Who hunts someone with dogs, she thought. This was like something out of a horror movie, was all that came to her. Then she lost all train of any thought, as because she occasionally looked back she didn't see where she was putting her feet and so consequently, she tripped. She hit the ground hard and while scrabbling to get up, she searched for what she had tripped over. She screamed, as her eyes met the lifeless eyes of David the bartender, his bloody corpse just lying there. She ran faster, pure fear giving her speed.

Whumph!

She gasped, as she was violently brought to a halt. Pain filled her senses and she glanced down. Sticking into her, just below her ribcage was, what could be described as, a six-inch stake attached to a piece of wood that had sprung from round a tree. It was very much like the trap of Coles, that had struck Charlie. She tried to pull back, to move, but she couldn't. Whether it was due to pain and shock, or just that it was in too deep, she couldn't move. It didn't much matter though, as she suddenly felt someone grab the back of her neck and yank her off. She hit the floor gasping, her hands reaching for the source of her pain. She was struggling to breath, but she was still conscious enough to recognise the young man from earlier smiling down at her. He seemed to be enjoying her pain.

He was now joined by another man, who was older and rougher looking.

"I told you, you should have set it higher," said the older man, his voice harsh.

"It was just a test, but I think it's more interesting if they die slow," replied the younger man. "Plus the bartender didn't last very long,"

The older man just looked at him, but she was gasping now, unconsciousness calling her. Yet, she lasted long enough to see a third person join the other two. She stared in horror, for she knew them. She had seen the guy at the party last night, he was one of the guests. She couldn't believe it, her last thought, as she fell into the darkness, was, why, why was he doing this…

* * *

I woke up to the morning light steaming through a crack in the curtains. I got showered and dressed and headed down. I was ready to tackle the situation today, but first I was going to have breakfast. When I entered, there were a few people down and all of them watched as I entered. As more people entered, they all looked at me too. It appeared that word had got round, that I knew what was going on. They seem now nervous, rather then angry. Cal and Chloe joined me, but for once, they didn't say much. I assumed they were ashamed at the situation they were in.

I discovered however, that the nervous atmosphere was worse then the one of hatred, and even less of them were eating the food on their plates. It was so much so, that I got to the end of my patience and whether or not it could be fitted in, I was going to make them do it.

"Right!" I said, standing up and causing everyone to turn to me. "I would like to see everyone who knew me before this wedding, in the North Drawing Room in twenty minutes. If you are not there in twenty minutes, I will come and find you all,"

I then left the table and headed for the door.

"Oh, and it's your job to tell anyone who is not currently down here," I added, before leaving.

I headed upstairs, knowing at least two of the people, who weren't down there, I needed to wake up. I would usually let them wake up naturally, but unfortunately I didn't have time. I headed for Shane's room first and knocked, before opening it with the rusty key. The room was dark and quiet. Shane hadn't moved much and was still fast asleep. I sighed, and then began trying to wake him.

"Shane, come on, wake up," I said, shaking him gently. "Shane?"

He didn't respond at all, so I shook him harder and raised the volume on my voice.

"Shane, time to get up," I said, trying to get a response. "Come on, Shane,"

"Mmm," he groaned, finally coming round.

I moved to draw the curtains, and he shied away from the light.

"I'm sorry," I said, coming back to him.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"About nine thirty," I said, crouching down to the level of the bed. "But everyone's been told to be in the North Drawing Room in about twenty minutes,"

"Right, okay," he mumbled.

He sighed and blinked a couple of times.

"How do you feel?" I asked, my expression showing slight concern.

"Tired, really tired," he said, now looking at me.

"It's because you had a good few hours, your body's wanting more like that," I explained, standing up again.

"Were you in here all night?" he asked, as he propped himself up on one of his elbows.

"No, I left about twenty minutes after you fell asleep," I said, watching him.

"Oh, right," he said, glancing away.

"An' speaking of twenty minutes, it's ticking by," I said, and then added with a smile. "Know if you're not down there by then, I will come looking for you,"

"Okay, I got it," he said, meeting my eyes again. "Go on,"

He indicated to the door. I smiled and nodded, clapping him on the shoulder before leaving. I now headed down to the first floor, and back to room 8. As I entered, I came upon a sight that made me smile. Trish was still fast asleep on the bed, and Shea was curled up next to her. Thomas's head rested on his chest, for he too was asleep. The entire room was peaceful, as if my so called magic method, had worked on them all. I entered quietly, but still all but Trish woke at my presence. I wasn't surprised; they all seemed to be pretty nervous, however much they tried to hide it.

"Trish, come on sweety," I called, encouragingly, while shaking her. "Trish, you've gotta wake up now,"

"Does she have to?" Thomas asked, from behind me. "She's not slept like that since, well…"

"Since you left," finished Shea, Thomas nodded at his older daughter.

"Well I wouldn't usually wake them, but I need you all down in the North Drawing Room in about 15 mins," I told them, with a sigh.

Thomas's eyes met mine, before he nodded me to continue.

"Trish, I know your tired, but you've gotta wake up now," I said, my voice level increasing. "Trish,"

She came round painstakingly slowly, and struggled to keep her eyes open long enough to acknowledge who I was. She yawned and blinked rapidly, and as it became apparent she knew who I was, her brow furrowed.

"You know then, I guess," she said, slowly, she couldn't meet my eyes. "Because of me,"

"Yes, but you shouldn't be so ashamed of yourself," I said, gently manoeuvring her face to look at me. "It's better I know, that way I can help you all,"

A small tear trickled down her pretty face.

"I guess," she replied, sadly. "It's just the others will be mad at me,"

"They won't," said Shea, now. "It could have happened to any of us,"

"Shea is right," I concurred, with a smile. "Anybody could have started up,"

Trish's eyes were beginning to slide shut again, her head nodding. I smiled sadly, and encouraged her to get up. She staggered a little, but soon with her dad's supportive arm, we made our way out of her room and headed for the North Drawing Room.

I stood now by the fire, my back to the doors, where I could sense people slowly filing in. Shane had appeared as we had reached the bottom of the stairs, and followed us to the room. Both he and Trish were now sat down, Trish, cuddled up to her dad, dozing, and Shane, in a chair, trying hard not to slump in it. He didn't hold out long though and he, like Trish, was soon asleep, his head resting on his chest. I didn't need to see it though, I could sense it. I could sense a lot about my saves, now I was concentrating what remained of my skills, which were on half power, on the task. Their moods varied from tired to angry, to confused and nervous.

When finally they had all entered and the last one in shut the door, I still did not make a turn. They all had gone silent, and at least waited politely for whatever was to come. Finally after composing myself, I felt ready, but I for now remained with my back to them.

"So," I started, slowly emphasising the word. "We appear to have a situation,"

No one said anything, a few people glanced at Trish, while Ben and Brent made to wake Shane.

"Leave him," I said, and the two froze, but exchanged worried glances. "If he wants to sleep, let him, same goes for Trish,"

Some of them fidgeted nervously.

"I have some questions for you to start with. Simple ones, nothing too difficult," I continued, now. "Anyone have any objections?"

Silence followed, but I knew there were some who's moods showed they were unhappy.

"Right first one. Can all the people who were at the Black Swan when I returned from the dead, please raise their hands?" I said, still staring at the fire place.

No one moved, they seemed unsure whether I meant it or not. Finally Booth made a nervous and shaky gesture of his hand.

"Just Booth was it?" I said, making it known that some how, I could see what was going on behind me.

Slowly they raised their hands, Beth, by accident, knocked Shane while raising her and he jolted awake. He raised his hand in a confused manner, unsure what was occurring.

"It's fine, Shane, I know you've no idea what's going on, but you're right to raise your hand," I said, smiling to myself.

Even Trish, who had been partially awake, had done as I asked.

"So, you were all there, I thought so," I said, taking in a deep breath and sighing. "So, next question. Who was there, when I said my farewells in the car park?",

Again, they all slowly raised their hands, unsure where I was going with this.

"Were the same people, also there to see me off on The Marlin?" I asked, now trying to stay calm.

The hands stayed up, but some of their tempers where starting to rise too.

"So basically, you were all at all of those locations, and obviously you can all hear me, unless you're being sheep and following the others," I continued, chewing my lip slightly. "What about the use of your fingers? Do they all still work?"

"Ok, for goodness sake!" snapped a voice, I could never mistake. "Yes, we were all there, we can all hear you and we all have fingers, thumbs, arms and legs!"

"Excellent, I see you've still got your voice too," I replied, while staring at the flames.

"What is your point, huh?" snapped the voice.

_I spun round now and unleashed the pent up fury that I had with all of them. _

"_My point is, that I told you in all of those locations that you HAD TO CALL ME!" I roared, the person took a step back._

_In fact they all looked terrified, for never had any of them seen me like this._

"_And now, you blame me for your shitty existence, how bad your lives are, everything, and this could have all been avoided if you'd BLUDDY CALLED ME!"_

_There was silence, the calm before the storm. The point before all hell broke loose…_

Or at least, I wished I could have done that, but yelling and ranting would get me nowhere. I sighed and finally turned, meeting the grey/blue orbs of a man I'd once called my friend.

"My point, Jimmy, is that if any of you had taken the advice which I gave you, several times, then maybe your current predicament would have been avoided," I said, calmly never taking my eyes from him. "Does anyone have the faintest idea what I'm on about?"

There was again silence, and Jimmy retook his seat under guidance from the others.

"We had to call you?" came Shane's tired reply.

"Exactly, hit the nail on the head there, Shane," I said, directing a smile his way. "Can you remember why you had to call me?"

Even Shane looked blank on this one, they looked between each other and whispered. Danny then nudged Booth, who spoke nervously.

"If we didn't, you couldn't come back?"

"Give the man a medal, a gold star, or whatever you think he deserves," I said, calmly. "Yes, Booth, exactly, I couldn't come back and help you if you didn't call,"

"But, we didn't want to disturb you…" started Kelly, slowly.

"What?" I interjected. "I said you could ring me for something as little as you've run out of milk, it was a hint, you know. What on earth made you think that?"

"Well, it was a kind of group decision…" Kelly continued, but ended up looking at her shoes.

"We all decided together," added JD, his blue eyes meeting mine.

"So, nothing at all made you think 'Oh, we'll just ignore the advice from our Death Jumper and suffer in silence and then oh…let's see, hate her for the consequences of such an action'" I said, giving them a incredulous look.

Murmuring ensued; obviously there were some things they were still trying to hide.

"Oh come on, the idea of that if you disturb a Death Jumper, the person they're saving may die has been broached before. It's a common line of thought," I explained, to the sea of faces. "But, it's usually about one to two people out of fifty, who suggest it. Thirty something people all deciding at the same time this solution is possible is, well…bullocks!"

They didn't seem to know what to reply to this.

"Yes, there is a one in infinity chance of it occurring, but it's so minute that it's not even possible," I reasoned, trying to get them to talk to me. "So, come on, someone had to have voiced the idea and then the rest caught on, or some ones. Who thought it was plausible, I'm not gonna be mad, I just want to know,"

They mumbled again, no one wanting to be marked as a tell-tale. Finally someone stood up, and who it was, gave me a flashback.

"It was me, ok?" sighed Sully, stood there looking as tired as the rest. "But it wasn't my idea…"

"I know," I interrupted, he gave me a funny look. "I remember something that I thought was odd at the time, but it never registered,"

Everyone was staring at me, what I'd just said apparently made no sense.

"It was a Jumper who told you that, wasn't it?" I said, it was less of a question and more of a clarification.

"Yeah," said Sully, slowly. "How'd you know?"

"I remember seeing Jake have a conversation with you at the party, which caused you to make a strange expression," I explained, to him. "I should have known…"

"So…we're not to blame?" asked Chloe, peering at me, as Sully sat back down.

I looked at her, and put other thoughts to the back of my mind.

"We're all to blame in some way, but we need to now focus on moving on from where we are," I said, now looking round at them all. "If you want to stop having the night terrors, then you're gonna have to talk to me, each other. I can help you to a certain point,"

"You can help us sleep," murmured Trish, quietly. "That's important, is it not?"

"Yes, Trish, it is and I can, but only if you all let me," I replied, smiling at her. "I can't force you to let me help you all,"

"You need our consent?" questioned Richard, giving me a look.

"Well technically, I don't, but it makes it harder..." I said, as I felt drawn to a window.

I moved to it, walking past the sofa where Trish and Thomas were sat. I looked out of it, down the North Lawn to the tree line. The trees rustled and I stared at them, a funny feeling washing over me. I searched the trees, but there nothing there.

"Rebecca?" said Charlie, looking at me. "Hey, you ok?"

"What?" I said, turning to him.

"You had a funny look on your face," he continued, glancing around at the others.

"It's nothing," I said, moving back towards the fire place. "So, do you guys have questions? I'm sure you do,"

The discussions went on for a bit longer. They asked me what I been doing and how I planned to help them. A lot were more relaxed with me, which made me happy, but still some refused to talk to me. Jimmy and Nikki been the main ones, but Sully, Beth, Ben, Lucy, Brent, and Malcolm were still giving me looks and there were others too.

"Well, we've made some progress. We need to do some more of these sessions," I explained, to them. "I would love to have some one on one sessions, so if you want to come and talk to me then feel free. I'm in room 32, so just drop by at any time,"

I saw Jimmy roll his eyes, he had something he wasn't telling me and I had some feeling it was something to do with him and Abby.

"Well, if we're done here, then you need to go get ready for today's activity," announced Cal, checking with me.

I gave him a nod, after no one else spoke up.

"What is it then?" asked Brent, squeezing Robin, who was sat next to him.

"It's a treasure hunt," said Chloe, getting up and standing by Cal.

"Like…the scavenger hunt?" queried Booth, nervously.

"Sounds like it," commented Malcolm, looking uneasy.

"Well, it's not guys, this is a completely different set up," explained Cal, cheerfully.

"Yeah, each team gets a map with locations, you have to go to them and do tasks to get the clues to the locations of the treasure," explained Chloe with nods from Cal.

"Is the treasure worth it?" asked Madison, who was sat on her mothers lap.

"You may not like it, but I bet your Mom will," answered Chloe, smiling at the little girl.

"So, are you guy's participating?" I asked, watching their expressions.

"Yeah, we though we should all be involved," replied Cal, giving me a look as to why I'd asked that.

"Doesn't that give you guys an unfair advantage?" I continued, cocking my head at them.

"Well, no, cause the tasks aren't anything to do with us," said Chloe, with a shake of her head.

I nodded my understanding to her.

"Ok, so if there are no more questions, I'll see you all down in the entrance hall in twenty-five minutes," finished Cal, indicating them to go.

By the time we had all come back down and were ready, Cal and Chloe had managed to set out each group's stuff. They explained what they expected us to do, and then announced who was in which team. As they read out each group, I worried a bit as to who I'd be with. After all, half the people here seemed still intent on hating me. In fact they had just gone alphabetically down the list and put us into seven teams of six, as including Chloe and Cal, there should have been forty-two people. Though one team would have seven as Madison was staying with her mum, and so three teams would have five people as two hadn't showed. However, as we arranged ourselves it became apparent that someone was missing.

"Anyone seen Lucy?" asked Chloe, glancing around. "That's Lucy Turner, not you, Lucy,"

"Didn't she go off with that bartender last night?" questioned Christina, with a shrug. "Perhaps she's still with him,"

"Yeah," agreed Danny, nodding. "I remember seeing them together,"

I was nodding too, I knew I'd seen them last night.

"Ok, well, some teams are short anyway," reasoned Chloe, she put on a smile. "Ok, so no changing teams, have fun, make new friends, off we go,"

I sighed, at least I hadn't ended up in a team with Jimmy. My team consisted of me, Cal, Brent, Joel, Abby and the new guy Darren. Abby seemed a little uneasy to be with me to start with, but she made an effort to brush it aside. I saw Danny give her a glance, and she smiled back at him and then focused on the task in hand. Our group decided to go for the furthest away point to start with, as it meant we could then work our way back up. We set off, moving quickly as, after all, it was a race, and headed down the road. It took us a good forty-five minutes to get to the docks, and we weren't the only group with that idea. We reached the docks, to find the task involved something to do with Jet Skis. We had to ride one and get a lance through a target, to release an item. Brent glanced at it, before announcing he didn't want to get wet. They were debating what to do, as were the other team down at the docks, which happened to be Sully's group.

"Um, guys, I can go," I started, but they were too busy debating to hear me.

I sighed and turned. I glanced at the target and grinned, I didn't need a lance to get it.

"Look, Darren, how'd you feel about trying it?" asked Cal, who was trying to keep his cool.

I got on a Jet Ski and started it. I then floored it off across the calm waters of the loch. They still hadn't noticed I'd moved. I spun it in a circle and took a breath, as I neared the target. My pupils narrowed and then I launched the Jet Ski and myself, up. I flipped, grabbing the target item, and landed neatly back on the Jet Ski. As I brought it back to shore, I spotted that my skills hadn't gone unnoticed. The other group were stood in silence, staring at me, Sully looking almost impressed. Andrew just shook his head, as I got off and walked up to my group.

"So it's agreed, Darren can do the task," said Cal, finally, the others nodded.

"Here you go," I said, handing Cal the item and grinning.

They all turned to me and stared.

"What? You were taking so long, and I did say I could do it," I said, with a smile.

"I think we may have a slight advantage," said Abby, giving me a look.

Cal shook his head and shrugged.

"Well, let's go then," I said, indicating back up the road.

As we left, I heard the Jet Ski start up again as the other group had voted their team member who was to get the item. I glanced in Sully's direction, an ache in my heart. I felt a pair of eyes watching me and found Abby was looking at me. I sighed and moved to join her. Unbeknown to me, Sully then picked that moment to turn and look at my receding form. He finally turned back, putting his thoughts of me to the back of his mind.

The next task was in the woods, and so we trekked over there. Booth was uneasy and so, he decided to walk with me. He was moments from literally clinging to me, when something moved off to his left, but it was only a deer.

"Relax," I whispered, to him, giving him a reassuring smile. "You're safe with me,"

"Don't tell the others," he replied, quietly, I looked at him. "But I'm glad you're here,"

"Thanks Booth, I'm glad someone is," I said, giving him a warm smile.

When we reached the task, it was three wooden poles. One had tyres on and the two other didn't, you had to transfer the tyres to the furthest pole, so that they were in the same order as they were on the first pole. You could only move one tyre at a time, and there were four in total. We began working on the solution, the guys except for Booth all had their own ideas of how it worked, and Abby, Booth and I all watched why they debated it. Booth seemed to be trying to work the solution in his head, and Abby chose that point to come closer to me.

"I'm sorry Rebecca," she said, quietly.

I turned to her and looked at her.

"What for?" I asked, unsure why she was sorry.

"For how Jimmy's being treating you, it's my fault," she continued, sadly.

"I noticed you and him don't seem happy," I commented, looking her up and down.

"He blames you for the reason, I said we needed to take a break…" she started, slowly.

"I've got it guys!" announced Booth, cutting Abby off.

He went over and started directing them what they had to do. I found I was just staring at Abby.

"What?" I said, giving her a look.

"Well, after you left we were doing fine, but he missed you. He spent a lot of time wondering if you'd ever come back," she explained, her eyes had a far away look in them. "Then when we all started having the dreams, and his desire for you to come back only increased,"

"I see, and you couldn't take how much he wanted me back?" I questioned, carefully.

"No, that's what he thinks, but it's not that, not that at all…" she replied slowly.

"Rebecca, Abby, you gonna help us?" called Brent, indicating to the task. "It is a team activity, you know,"

She looked at me and sighed.

"Ok, Brent, ok," she replied, and headed over.

I watched her, what was her reason then, if not that…

Having completed that task, we now moved on again, the fourth one being further up still. When we reached this one however, there were two teams already there.

"Should we wait, or move on?" asked Darren, glancing at the two groups racing each other.

"Wait?" I suggested, having no desire to come back again.

"Um, yeah ok," nodded Cal, leaning back against a tree.

We watched as Chloe's group reached the top of the cliff first, and then smoothly abseiled back down. The other group competing was Trish's group, who was only just behind. As Chloe's group passed, she paused for a moment to nab a kiss of Cal, before running off after her group. I smiled and shook my head.

"Robin, are you coming?" called Malcolm, loudly.

I laughed, as I realised Brent's girlfriend too had taken the same opportunity as Chloe, and was now holding up Trish's group. Brent tapped her on her bum, as she spun round to catch up with the rest of her group too.

"Right, who's gonna go up?" asked Brent, glancing at the cliff.

It was a rock climbing task, I glanced around them.

"Abby, how'd you fancy going up there?" I asked, looking at her.

"Um, yeah ok," she replied, giving me a smile.

Once the man had strapped her in, she began her assent. It wasn't too hard, but we all called encouragement to her. Looking up at her climbing, I had flash backs to when I had descended the bluff to escape Wakefield all those years ago. I had been pretty scared, even though I'd known what I was doing. Yet Abby was perfectly safe on that cliff, and I relaxed enjoying myself for the first time since I'd got there.

When she reached the bottom, after abseiling like a pro, we only had one more destination, before it was back to the hotel. As we reached the small village/town we all headed for the pub. It was called The Outrider, and upon the sign had a beautiful red deer stag. We headed in and it was pretty quaint. It was like most out of the way Scottish pubs I'd been to, comfy red leather seats arranged in little corners, wooden tables and chairs and a plush carpet with some flowery design on it. The ceiling was quite low near the bar, and behind the bar was a display of all the whiskeys and some other alcoholic beverages. There were already groups in here, including Shane's and some how, Sully's too. As we entered it, went quiet and people turned. I sighed and walked up to the bar.

"I'll take a…" I started.

"A vodka, lemonade and lime," interjected a voice. "And it's on me,"

I swung round, and stared at the person who'd just got me a drink. Part of me had wished it to be Sully, but it wasn't. There stood, quite casually, was…Uncle Marty.

"Uncle Marty?" I questioned, looking confused. "How'd you…"

"A little bird told me," he replied, quickly with a wink at me.

I sighed and glanced around the room. Something told me, that what I wished may have been true in a way, as I couldn't think of any other explanation, as to why Marty would know my drink order.

Once I'd got my drink, I went and sat with my group. It was very easy to work out what the last task involved. Amy Lucas, who was in Sully's team, was currently singing karaoke on the small stage. I grinned, wondering if all the singing I'd done when I'd last seen them, had influenced at all their decision to have karaoke as a task.

"So, who wants to do it?" asked Cal, indicating to Amy.

"Well, we all know Rebecca can sing," said Abby, with a glance at me.

"Don't we all have to do it?" I asked, picking up the task sheet.

"Well, anyone who doesn't has to drink instead," said Darren, with a shrug. "At least, that's what the rules say,"

"Well, who's gonna do what then?" asked Cal, now.

"I'll sing, it's not that hard," I said, with a sigh. "Even though I hate singing in public,"

They all glanced at me then, all except for Darren.

"What? I do, and that wasn't public," I replied, giving them a look back.

"I'll sing too," said Abby, with a nod.

Booth nodded and Cal grinned.

"So, that leaves me and Darren to do the drinking part," said Brent, slowly. "How much is it we have to down?"

I glanced at the sheet.

"Five pints each," I said, running my finger along the page. "That's not too bad,"

"Right, I'll go get the drinks, while you lot decide what you're singing," said Darren, rising from his seat.

I searched the song list, and found there were several songs I could sing. The task sheet did say one song was ok, but if you could do more then one, you'd get a bonus. So I decided to sing more then one. Each of us went up and sang, while the other two downed their pints. Finally it reached me and up I got. I selected the first song I was to sing, it was a cover of Fleetwood Mac's Dreams from their album Rumours. The cover had been done by The Corrs. I sang quietly, the song beautifully dark and easily able to stir memories deep within me. I could feel their eyes on me, watching me, remembering themselves, the times they'd had with me.

The next song I selected for the lyrics, and to help me to get through to them. It was Long Way Around by Eagle-Eye Cherry ft Neneh Cherry.

"Stand, where you must stand, and I'll believe when I can," I sang, softly moving off stage and moving around them. "Cause I'm telling you now, I've been where you're living in,"

I could see them all glancing at me, as I sang the chorus.

"Tomorrow keep its promise, no one here can say," I sang glancing at Jimmy, Abby and others. "The past is all behind us, and all we had is today,"

I danced back up on to the stage, and finished the song. I looked at them, they were all looking a bit uncomfortable. Then Jimmy just got up, slamming his chair back. He stared at me, his face full of hurt and fury. I'd never seen him look at anyone like that, not even when he'd lost it after Abby had left. He slammed his glass down and stormed out the pub. Shane was up, and giving me an apologetic look, he took off after Jimmy. I followed suit, not caring anymore. I heard others get up, as I took off out the door and up the street.

As I reached the grounds of the hotel, I heard angry voices coming from the North Lawns. I found Shane and Jimmy in a heated discussion and I knew it was because of me.

"I don't care, it's not her fault and you know it!" snapped Shane, staring Jimmy down. "You're been a complete arse to her about it, and she doesn't even know the reason!"

"I hate her for it, it's because of her!" snarled Jimmy, shoving Shane back.

Shane shoved Jimmy, and I could see the fight that was about to start.

"Oi!" I called, trying to keep calm. "Don't you two, dare start a fight!"

"Just stay out of it, Rebecca," said Shane, slightly more snappy then he meant to.

"No, you said she didn't know, maybe it's time she did!" snarled Jimmy, wiggling out of Shane's grip and marching right over to me.

"Abby left me, ok," he said, a dark fury burning in his eyes. "She left me, cause she thought I cared more about you then her,"

"That's not true!" snapped Shane, as he approached.

"Back off, Shane," snarled Jimmy, putting his hand out in a stop signal to Shane. "You're the one who wanted her to know,"

"Not like this," argued Shane, catching my eye.

"She thought I loved you, Bitch!" he spat, at me. "It's all your fault, I'm all alone again!"

"She didn't," I replied, trying to stay calm, but god it hurt. "She told me it wasn't the reason,"

"Bollocks! She wouldn't have left me, if you hadn't come into my life!" he roared, taking hold of me. "In fact, I wish I'd never met you!"

"Jimmy!" snapped Shane, trying to take hold of him. "You don't mean it,"

"I do, she didn't need to know me, she didn't save me," he said, his tone full of venom. "She instead just fucked it up, she ruined my life!"

I backed away from him, his words cutting through me like a knife. Whether he meant it or not, I couldn't take it. I turned and fled down the lawn, as hot tears streaked down my face. I hit the tree line and I didn't stop, I kept running.

Just as I disappeared into the trees, the others who'd been in the pub reached Shane and Jimmy.

"What have you done!" roared Shane, who was only stopped from punching Jimmy by Sully and Brent. "How could you do that to her?"

"What's happened?" asked Cal, trying to understand.

"Jimmy went and yelled at Rebecca, telling her that she was the reason Abby left him," started Shane, his voice filled with anger.

"What!" cried Abby. "Jimmy that's not true,"

"He also told her he wished he'd never met her and she ruined his life," continued Shane, glaring at Jimmy.

He wasn't the only one either, Jimmy was getting glares from several people.

"Oh, Jimmy," said Abby, shaking her head.

She took hold of him and took him aside.

"I never left you cause I thought you loved Rebecca more," she explained, quietly. "I left because I needed to sort myself out, I needed space, cause every time I looked at you I was reminded..."

"But, how…" he tried slowly.

"I don't know, but I knew that we were both suffering from the dreams and I couldn't put the stress of my suffering on you too," she continued, shushing him. "I was just starting to feel safe again, and I think it was due to Rebecca's presence,"

Jimmy slowly looked up at her, the fury dissipating.

"So was I…" he whispered, quietly.

He turned and looked at the others. Then he focused on Shane, and relaxed as Shane's expression softened.

"I'm sorry, man," said Jimmy, slowly.

"I know, but it's not me you need to apologise to," he replied, coming over to his friend. "Come on, we better go find her,"

Somewhere in the woods, I'd finally come to a stop. I'd scrabbled down a large rock, and was now sat at the base of it. I had no idea where I was, and neither did I care. I hugged my knees to me, as the tears continued to flow. I couldn't believe I'd hurt him so bad, if anything I'd failed him. I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I never heard the approach of it, as is picked up my scent and came closer. Or as it slowly and carefully descended the rock I'd climbed down. It wasn't until, I felt it's hot breath on the back of my neck and low deep growls that emanated from it's jaws, that I realised, I wasn't alone…

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Ok, so how was that. Lots of drama and did anyone expect the beginning? Any thoughts on who our Rogues are? What's gonna happen? Well you'll all just have to wait and see. So make my day and press that review button *Puppy Dog Eyes*


	6. Chapter 6 Close Calls & Reconciliations

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hey thanks to HonoraryDAMember, Becca85, Neon Jack, January Raines and Jamesss for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember**, I hope you had a great birthday and I'm happy you enjoyed the chapter. As for Rebecca you'll just have to read on. **To Becca**, keep the long reviews coming, I love them. Now, to your questions. The Captain is from an 80's TV show, which there was also a recent film made of, though he's the one from the TV show rather then the film. Palaeontology has always been what I wanted to do, but geology is interesting too. I love your theories on the Rogues. Yes the two are a man and a woman and yes they can both become men and/or women (i.e. two guys etc.), but it doesn't mean they have done so here... As for John and Henry, the epilogue of C39 may give you some clues to your questions on them. I am curious as to why you think Abby for one of them as unlike your other suggestions you didn't give any reasons for why you maybe thought her. I hope you enjoy this chapter. **To Neon Jack**, I'm happy you like it and you'll just have to wait and see as to the Rogues. **To January Raines**, I'm very happy you like it and hopefully you will be satisfied with this chapter. Enjoy! **To James**, it's nice to have you back. It nice to hear you like it. I do have to say that people do die sometimes; they did in C39 so some will here. Hope you like this chapter.

Now for all of you, who are trying to work out the Rogues, I will say there was another little hint in the last chapter but it was quite subtle. Now I have to tell you that unfortunately I have five weeks of field work starting on Tuesday and so there won't be another chapter for a while. I will try and get one up soon after I come back which is about the 20th of July. So please be patient.

Now, a warning that there may be some bad language in this, i can't quite remember but here's a warning all the same. I hope you like this chapter and don't forget to review. Enjoy!

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**_Chapter six-_**_**Close Calls & Reconciliations **_

"Rebecca!" called Shane, as he walked through the trees. "You've done it this time, man,"

"I would say she can't have got far, but then she's a fast runner," mumbled Jimmy, as he just managed to avoid tripping over a tree root. "I still don't know if I can do it,"

"You have to try and say sorry," said Cal, coming closer.

"I know, it's just I'm having problems controlling my temper, and she was the one who taught me to do it," replied Jimmy, sadly.

"But, you don't still believe Abby left you because of her do you?" asked Shane, watching his friend. "I mean, Abby just confirmed to you it wasn't the reason,"

"I don't know what to think, I can't tell if she's lying to me any more," he said, slowly stopping.

"And you could before?" questioned Cal, looking slightly impressed.

"I didn't have to. She never felt she really had to lie to me, and I never though she would," said Jimmy, looking between Shane and Cal.

"Well, we better keep looking,"said Shane, now continuing. "Cause there's no way I'm leaving her out here alone,"

"Yeah, whatever my issues with her, I know I'd never forgive myself if something happened to her," nodded Jimmy with a sigh.

Cal glanced at Shane, both seemed to be thinking the same thing. The three then continued, in the direction they had chosen.

* * *

The growling only deepened when I attempted to move, so I stopped trying and sat still.

"You're good, I'll give you that," I said, aloud to it. "I envy your silence,"

It didn't reply, it stayed exactly where it was.

"Not going to grace me with words?" I asked it. "At least allow me to face my attacker,"

I tried to move again, but it still wouldn't let me move. It got so close, that my skin caused my brain to imagine its teeth touching my flesh. I shivered at the thought.

"Ok, you get up, really slow," said a voice, now.

It came from somewhere off to my right. There were two of them and at least one, was in beast form.

"Your friend won't let me," I called, slowly.

From behind me, I heard it shift, trying to get a better position, as it's claws began to slip. I saw my chance, and I took it. I spun, grabbed it and threw it over me. It crashed to the floor and struggled to its feet. I thought it was strange how it had failed to landed on it's feet, but I didn't have time to think about that now. The move I'd made had been in vain as I now heard the gun cock.

"I told you to move slowly, now show me you hands, scum," said the voice, which I now could discern had a strong accent.

The creature stood before me, growling and watching me, with big dark brown eyes. A large, and beautiful, longhaired Alsatian dog. It started to inch forward, sniffing me.

"Kevin, stay back," ordered the accented voice.

I looked at Kevin, something about him was different. Out of the shadows of the trees, appeared an older man. He was dressed in dark green trousers, boots, a thick jersey with a brown tweed jacket on top, and a flat cap that sat firmly on his head. He had raised at me, a hunting rifle and by the looks of it, he knew what he was doing with it. Yet, even though he currently wore a scowl, he seemed to have a kindly face, with twinkling green eyes and greying hair.

"Now, are you gonna answer my questions, or are you gonna play tricks on me?" he queried, never lowering the gun.

"I'm not sure what you're on about," I said, glancing between the two.

The dog snorted, as if it didn't believe me.

"Is your friend here a mute or something, an assassin got your tongue?" I said, indicating to Kevin.

The man paused and stared at me.

"Are you suggesting, Kevin here, can talk?" he asked, curiously.

I paused myself, that was also strange. I looked at the Rogue in beast form.

"Well?" he continued, watching me.

"I don't know what to think," I replied, slowly. "Are you gonna shoot me with that gun?"

"Depends, on whether or not you're gonna try and attack me," he said, cocking his head at me. "Though, you're not in a good position to attempt such a thing."

"Why would I attack you?" I asked, with a sigh.

"Cause you're one of them, Kevin says so," he said, nodding at Kevin.

"I thought you said he couldn't talk," I started, giving him a look.

The man rolled his eyes.

"He's been trained to hunt down your kind, hence why he wouldn't let you move," explained the man.

"Why didn't he kill me there and then?" I asked, trying to take this info in.

"Cause he has to wait for me to give the signal, yet the position he had you in…" he said, pausing before adding. "I'm surprised he didn't,"

I jumped, as I suddenly felt a wet nose press against my hand. He'd done it again, he'd got really close without me realising. How did he do that, I thought. Kevin flinched at my reaction, but only for a second, then he sniffed again. What happened next however, made both the man and me stare. Kevin licked my hand and nudged it, encouraging me to pet him.

"Well I never, who are you?" he asked, now the gun lowering slightly.

"I'm, well I'm Rebecca Jacobs," I said, slowly unsure.

The man glanced at me and then nodded.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Jacob Grant and Kevin is my dog," he said, cheerfully.

"So, you're not Rogues?" I said, giving them a confused look.

"Rogues? Um, I'm not sure I follow," he said, giving me an equally odd look. "But you're one of those 'shifter people'"

"Shifter people?" I queried, watching as Kevin returned to his master's side.

"The people who can change into beasts," he explained, Kevin sat and cocked his head.

"How'd you…" I started, slowly.

"Met 'em before," he interrupted. "But you seem slightly different,"

"Let's say, I'm on the good side," I said, feeling a little awkward. "So there have been Rogues…I mean 'shifter people' here?"

"Um, yeah, but not for a while," he said, glancing around.

I looked around too, I realised at that point, I'd no idea where I was.

"I don't suppose, you know where the Craiglaren Hotel is from here?" I asked, now.

"You're staying there?" he asked, giving me a look and I nodded. "You're a long way out, lass,"

"I didn't really think about where I was going at the time," I said, slowly.

The dog got to his feet and nudged his master. Jacob nodded to him.

"You fancy a cream tea?" he asked, watching me.

I paused, I barely knew this guy and yet for some reason, I felt like I'd known him for years. I felt like, I could trust him.

"Um, ok," I said, starting to approach him.

"Then I'll take you back to the Craiglaren, ok?" he said, as I joined him and Kevin.

"Thanks," I replied, reaching down to scratch Kevin's ears.

The dog rubbed against me, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob give me a once over. He then just smiled, and led me off through the trees.

* * *

"We've been searching for a good hour," said Brent, slowly. "Maybe we've been going in the wrong direction,"

"Doesn't mean we stop looking," said Abby, glancing around the trees.

"I wasn't saying we should, I was just meaning, it's a waste of energy," grumbled Brent, who then rolled his eyes, as Booth tripped for what had to be the twentieth time or so. "You're so not fit to be outdoors,"

"I never professed I was," mumbled Booth, grumpily. "The outdoors is not fit for people,"

Brent again rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself.

"Maybe, the others will have found her by now," suggested Booth. "Perhaps we should ring them?"

"If they haven't, it'll only cause more worry," said Brent, slowly. "Or at least, it would if it was me looking for Robin,"

"Rebecca!" yelled Abby, loudly. "Rebecca! Where are you?"

They continued, as the wind picked up and drops of rain started to fall.

* * *

We had been walking for about twenty minutes, when we rounded the path and came face to face with a cabin surrounded by a very high fence. It looked like a deer fence, but it seemed to have been modified a little. Jacob saw my expression at his fence.

"Keeps the deer off my vegetable patch," he commented, with a smile.

"Are they vicious deer you've got here?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him and indicating the barb wire at the top of the fence.

"Keeps all the unwanted pests off my vegetable patch," he said, with a slight chuckle.

He unlocked the gate, and let me and Kevin through, before locking it behind us. Usually with a stranger, I would have felt unnerved to be locked in, but with Jacob it was...different. I glanced around the small enclosure. There was a little garden and there was indeed, quite a sizeable vegetable patch. The cabin it's self, was quite large, made from large poles of what smelled exactly like the pine trees which surrounded it. It had a porch, and what appeared to be a slate roof. He opened the door and stood waiting for me to enter, Kevin had chosen to sit on the porch and observe me too. The rain was starting to spit, but I didn't care. I finally gave him a smile, walked up the two steps and in through the door. The cabin was pretty spacious, it had a large open fire and a kitchen/dining/living room. There was also three doors leading off to what I assumed were bedrooms and a bathroom.

"It's absolutely charming," I said, loving all of it.

"I'm glad you like it," he said, with a smile. "Now, if you'd care to sit down, I'll make you your cream tea and a cup of something hot?"

"Oh, yes, sure," I said, making my way to the table. "I'll take tea, if you have it,"

Kevin followed me and waited till I was seated, before sitting beside me and resting his head in my lap. Outside the rain started to fall heavily. I watched as the older man moved around the little kitchen, slowly getting what he required. I then looked down at the dog, whose big brown eyes were staring up at me.

"So, how'd you train him to recognise…us?" I asked, slowly, phrasing it carefully.

"Ah, now that's a professional secret," he replied, tapping his nose with his index finger.

I smiled, as he now reminded me of Ryan.

"He's a good dog is my Kevin, always knows when people are saying what's true," he continued, while carrying over my scone on a plate. "Never been wrong about folk neither,"

"He must be very clever then," I said, fondling the dog's ears. "Aren't you a good boy,"

The dog gave my hand a lick and I smiled.

"He likes you, he does. I trust you're a good one," he said, as he now also brought over my tea.

"Yep, but I can't say that for all of my fellow people," I said, a little sadly. "Some, sorta lose their way,"

He sat down opposite me.

"Well, doesn't everyone at sometime," he commented, taking a sip of his tea.

"Yeah, I suppose they do," I said, thinking of people I'd lost. "I suppose they do..."

* * *

The others had had to give up searching for me, due to the weather. Jimmy's anger had now all but diminished and he was sat by the fire in the hall, watching the door. He hadn't completely forgiven me, but he knew he'd gone a bit far. Sully had just come down the stairs and spotting Jimmy, he made his way to him.

"You still hoping she'll just walk back in that door?" he queried, watching Jimmy's face.

Jimmy slowly raised his eyes to Sully.

"I feel kinda bad for what I did," he replied, slowly. "Yet there's an anger in me, that just wants to scream some more at her,"

"I know what you mean, but even though I'm reluctant to admit it, Cal and Danny are right," said Sully, slowly starting to pace up and down a little. "We can't go on being mad at her,"

"I know we can't, the truth is, I just can't stay mad at her," said Jimmy, a touch of sadness in his voice. "She's done nothing wrong, even if Abby did leave me for her, which she says she didn't, it's not Rebecca's fault. It's mine,"

A slow clap rang out of the darkening entrance hall. Both Sully and Jimmy looked up.

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger, don't she," said Andrew, slowly approaching them.

"What's your problem man?" questioned Sully, turning to face him.

"Her, and how she gets away with what she does," he continued, his tone laced with hatred. "She's not even human,"

Sully's eyes narrowed, and Jimmy stood up beside him.

"What do you mean by that," said Jimmy, his tone darkening.

"Well, she's not, is she," sneered Andrew.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," growled Sully, who started to advance on him.

"Andrew?" called Chloe, from the base of the stairs.

She and Beth had just come from the direction of the bar.

"What are you up to?" she questioned, coming towards the three men.

"Nothing, little sister," he said, swinging round to face her. "Just getting to know some of your friends,"

Chloe's eyes moved to meet Sully's and then Jimmy's, both which suggest something wasn't quite right.

"Well, I need your help with something, so would you kindly come and join me," she said, her voice a little uneasy.

"Yes, sure, be with you in a minute," he said, as sweetly as he could.

She nodded and turning to Beth, the two headed upstairs. He turned back to Sully and Jimmy.

"Just you think about it, you know I'm right, boys," he said, with a dark look. "You know I'm absolutely right,"

He then turned slowly and left, heading after his sister. Sully made to go for him, but Jimmy grabbed his arm and shook his head.

"He's not worth it man," he said, pulling Sully back.

Sully looked at him and sighed.

"I know, you want to know something funny?" said Sully, looking Jimmy in the eyes. "He makes me madder then Rebecca does,"

Jimmy smiled and grinned.

"Same," he replied, and they both laughed.

Back in the cabin, we had been talking for several hours. I had leaned that Jacob was the game keeper for the laird, who owned the whole island. He'd been here a long time, and so knew a lot about the island. Funnily enough, when I learned how long his family had been here, I found myself asking whether the island had any secrets, such as underground tunnels and the like. He had given me a funny look, but told me as far as he knew, there was nothing like that on the island. In turn, he asked me about Death Jumpers and even though I felt uneasy, I told him only what I thought he should know. We are kind of considered as a secret society by some, and we like to keep our existence hidden. So I couldn't really tell him much.

I finished up my tea, after what felt like more then several hours of talking and made ready to leave. He picked up his rifle again and whistled Kevin to his side. He peered out, carefully checking to see if any uninvited guests had showed, but he finally gave the all clear. We set off back through the woods, heading in a north east direction. My senses scanned the area, for anything that would pose a threat. Yet, there was nothing and after all, Jacob had said it had been a long time since he'd seen one of us. Plus, I'd done a complete scan of the island and there had been nothing picked up. So unless Rogues had found a way to hide themselves from the scanning system, then I doubted there were any. Finally, we came to the edge of the trees. I looked up at the dark stone building, that was the Craiglaren Hotel. It was definitely imposing in this light.

"Here we go, safe and sound back at your hotel," said Jacob, indicating to the building. "Impressive, ain't it?"

"Yes it is, not the sort of place you'd think murder would take place," I said, more to myself then to Jacob.

He looked at me oddly and then the hotel.

"Well, I wouldn't know Miss," he replied, slowly. "I'm pretty sure, it could pass for one of the locations of those Miss Marple stories,"

I laughed; remembering one such story, that did indeed have a building very similar to the one that lay before me.

"Quite true," I said, with a nod. "Well, best be getting back there, wouldn't want people worrying,"

"Quite right, it was nice meeting you Miss Jacobs," he said, tipping his cap to me.

"You too, Mr Grant," I replied, giving him a smile. "I hope to see you around,"

I then turned to the dog stood at his side.

"It was lovely meeting you too, Kevin," I said, reaching down to pat him. "You take good care of your master now,"

I nodded to them both, then turned on my heel and headed for the hotel. When I reached the door, I opened it quietly and shut it behind me. I found though, that the entrance hall wasn't empty. In fact, there were quite a few people gathered in the hall.

"Right, now, if you take your group towards town, our two groups will head in the directions of the church and south through the woods," said Cal, indicating to Danny and JD.

"What if she's gone to the loch side?" asked Jimmy, quietly. "Shouldn't someone check there?"

There was a silence as everyone thought, but now, as they all turned to the door, they stopped and stared. I looked back at them, not entirely sure what to say.

"Oh thank god, there you are," said Chloe, pushing past Abby and Trish to get to me. "We were literally just about to send out a search party,"

"I can see that," I replied, slowly.

"Are you ok?" asked Trish, studying my face.

"Yeah," I said, noting that a lot of the tiredness had gone from her face.

"Where on earth have you been," snapped Shane, who was stood by Booth and Danny.

"Around, I needed space to think," I said, taking a slow breath.

"We've been out of our minds with worry," said Shea, her tone hard.

"Wow, so you lot do give a damn then," I said, calmly looking at each I turn.

They looked at me, unsure how to reply. I took that point, to make my way to Jimmy. He watched me approach and as I reached him, his eyes had found the floor.

"So, Mr Mance," I started, he glanced up at that. "It seems an apology is in order,"

He looked down again and then, taking a deep breath, he looked up, his eyes meeting mine.

"I'm sorry Rebecca, I was wrong to…"

"No, it's me who's sorry," I interjected, if anyone in that hall hadn't been looking at me, they were now.

"What?" spluttered Jimmy.

"I've known you for over ten years, Jimmy," I started, slowly. "And in all those years, I've never seen you that mad, that hurt. For someone like you to react like that, I have to have seriously wronged you,"

"Rebecca…" he tried, but I shushed him.

Shane was giving me a look too, and several others were looking between themselves.

"It's my fault, I drove you to that outburst, so I'm sorry and I hope that one day you'll forgive me," I said, resting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.

He was just staring, not sure what to say. I gave him a smile and then, without a look at anyone else, I walked away.

When I reached my room, I shut my door behind me and walked slowly to the bed. I flopped onto it and stopped fighting the fresh wave of tears.

* * *

Jimmy flopped down in one of the chairs near the fire. He felt mad, but mad at himself. He'd also known me for ten years, and that meant he could read me pretty well. The others milled for a bit, before slowly going back to the bar or off to their rooms. Sully glanced at Jimmy and then gave a look to Shane, before heading off to the bar. Abby had a look on her face, that said she was unsure whether to stay or not, but Trish and Nikki decided for her. They slowly led her away, leaving Shane alone with Jimmy. Shane came to stand near the fire, leaning on the mantelpiece of it.

"I'm an arse," mumbled Jimmy, his head in his hands.

"You, an arse?" said Shane, in an incredulous tone. "If you're an arse, then I'm married to the Queen of England,"

A slight smile crossed Jimmy's lips.

"Why wasn't I your best man?" he asked, feigning a hurt look.

Shane rolled his eyes.

"Ok, so you can be an arse," conceded Shane, looking at Jimmy. "But since when, has that stopped you forgiving a friend?"

"Why did she apologise, when it was clearly me in the wrong and she who was hurting more?" queried Jimmy, running his hands through his hair.

"You know why," said Shane, slowly with a sigh.

"Cause she values my friendship, more then her own feelings," he mumbled, now getting up. "It's not right,"

"It's Rebecca for you," said Shane, now coming to stand in front of Jimmy. "We mean a lot to her,"

"She deserves better then us," said Jimmy, sadly.

"She wouldn't like to hear you say that," replied Shane, with a grin. "I just wish you hadn't upset her now,"

Jimmy gave him a look.

"Oh, it just means no real sleep for me," he said, with a sigh.

"Sorry, man," said Jimmy, with an apologetic look.

"Ah, don't worry about it," he continued, then indicating with his head. "Bar?"

"Ok," he nodded, indicating Shane to move.

The two then headed off in the direction of the bar.

Upstairs, Chloe was sat on the bed while Cal walked up and down.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Cal, pausing in his pacing.

"I think it would be for the better," said Chloe, with a sigh. "Not only, would it give her more time with everyone, but it would mean we were married sooner,"

Cal now came down to her level.

"We will be married, my love," he said, kindly. "Everything's going to be alright, but if you'd feel better that we get married on Friday instead of Saturday, then I'll speak to the vicar tomorrow,"

"I wish it could be tomorrow, but I do realise it's a bit short notice," she said, sadly.

"My dear, can I ask what has brought this on?" said Cal, the worry evident in his voice.

"Well, with everyone being so het up, then Lucy disappearing and then when I thought we'd lost Rebecca," she explained, tears coming to her eyes. "I was reminded of everything, and we still aren't sure where, in fact, Lucy is,"

"I'm sure she's fine, has she not texted you yet?" asked Cal, watching his fiancée.

"No," said Chloe, as tears rolled down her cheeks.

He brushed them gently away.

"Well, why don't you contact her again?" he suggested, slowly.

Chloe nodded and pulled out her phone, ready to do so, then it bleeped.

"Well, what do you know," he said, grinning as he spotted the id of the txt message. "You two must be psychically linked,"

Chloe gave him a weak smile.

"So, what does it say?" he asked, glancing at the screen.

She opened it and read it.

"She says she's sorry she hasn't texted sooner, and that she's been having a great time with David, who's the bartender," answered Chloe. "She say's she'll be spending the next few days with David, and she promises to be there for the wedding,"

"Well, you'll have to text her back saying you've move it," said Cal, cheerfully. "Now, will you please try to relax and enjoy the rest of this week?"

"Yes, ok," she nodded, and gave him a genuine smile. "We'll inform everyone of the change of plans tomorrow,"

He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"As for tonight," he started, a suggestive smile creeping onto his face. "We can both enjoy each other's company,"

"Oh Cal," she said, laughing and then she kissed him passionately.

Out in the dark, something watched as the door to the Craiglaren Hotel opened, and some people emerged out into the dark. They appeared to be drunk, and unlikely to know what they were really doing. Yet it still meant, it was unlikely going to be able to get back in any time soon, at least through the front door. It smiled, for right there and then, it had no need to get back in, it cocked it's head and then swung round as someone joined it.

"Sir," nodded the large black wolf.

"I've been sent to see your skill," replied the young man. "We need to see just how good you are,"

"You want me to kill one of them…now?" asked the wolf, giving a funny look.

"Lets just say, if an opportunity was to arise tonight, then you wouldn't want to miss it," replied the young man, darkly.

The wolf rose up and stood on two feet. The young man showed a slight unease, and then a fascination unlike any other.

"It's still amazes me how you do that," he said, his tone tinged with envy.

"It's nice to be able to do it freely," nodded the man, who stood before him. "Now, why don't we see if we can get a better angle,"

They moved quickly and quietly, like predators stalking their prey. The people who had come out, had wondered apart and the two watched with interest.

"Sarah? Sarah where are you," slurred Jason Collins, as he wondered around near some of the ornamental hedges. "Come on Sarah, this isn't funny,"

Sarah glanced around, she'd been hiding from her cousin's friend all evening. He was pretty drunk and that gave him confidence to hit on her. Especially since, Cal had not made an appearance that evening. She was hiding now, and there was no way she was coming out.

"Oh, screw you Sarah!" snapped Jason, with a wave of his hand. "If you want to stay out here, then fine!"

He stumbled off, swaying a little, back towards the Craiglaren. Sarah waited till he was practically in the door, before she moved. She sighed, it wasn't that she didn't like Jason, he was a great guy, but a little wild when he was drunk. She glanced around in the dark, it seemed that the others had also gone back inside. She began to walk back, swaying a little herself, as she realised she had had more then she thought. A breeze blew, lifting the hem of her dress and ruffling her hair. The trees swayed, making ominous creaking sounds and she suddenly swung round. She could have sworn she heard something moving, somewhere back behind her at the edge of the trees. She paused peering through the dark, but she couldn't see anything, in fact she couldn't see much at all. She sighed, she was being silly. Unbeknown to her, something swiftly moved from the edge of the trees to the border of the ornamental hedges. It crept swiftly, experience ensuring, that the earth did not shift beneath its paws and make a noise. It paused, its heightened senses making its job easier, and it now eyed the young blonde woman. It grinned, only as it could, as it reached striking distance…

Meanwhile in the bar, people were starting to slowly head to their rooms. All of them, wishing in someway they didn't have to sleep that night. JD walked slowly, his arm around Kelly, thinking about how, for the first time in a long time, happy he was. His train of thought however, was broken by some rather drunk guests of Cal and Chloe's coming in.

"Well if she wants to sleep out there in the bushes, she can!" stated a young man, with dark brown hair, his words slurring.

"Well, you were a bit forward with her, mate," replied an equally slurry guy, with the same colour hair. "I don't think Cal would want us to leave her out there,"

JD's now gave them his full attention and, going against his usual nature to avoid such people, he approached them. Kelly followed behind.

"Sorry, but did you just say you left someone out there?" asked JD, looking between the two.

"Yeah, but she won't come in," replied the fist guy.

JD and Kelly looked at each other.

"Jason isn't it?" said Kelly, kindly, the first one nodded. "Who won't come in?"

"Cal's cousin, Sarah," replied the second man, who turned out to be Simon Forester. "To be fair though, I wouldn't come to Jason if I was her either,"

"Well, I think we better go find her, don't you think," said JD, seriously. "Cal would kill you guys if something happened to her,"

"He's right, you know," nodded Simon, shaking his head to clear his vision. "He would string us up and use us as guinea pigs,"

Kelly was already heading to the door, followed by the three guys. She charged out into the dark.

"Which way did she go?" she demanded, now, her old stubbornness coming through.

"Down that way," answered Jason, pointing in the direction of the ornamental hedges and north lawn.

Kelly walked purposefully in that direction, JD had run back in for a torch and now came out shining the light around.

"Sarah!" yelled Kelly, as JD came to join her. "Sarah! You have to come in now, your stalkers gone!"

JD gave her a look and she shrugged.

"Your cousin won't forgive us, if we don't make sure you come in!" called JD, shining the torch around.

"I'm here!" came Sarah's call, finally.

She stumbled out of the dark and JD made to catch her.

"You ok?" he said, noticing she was not only swaying, but limping.

"I'm fine," she said, with a shake of her head. "Stupid me, I fell over something,"

"Well, at least your okay, lets all get inside," said JD, giving Sarah a smile and then grinning at Kelly.

Out in the dark, the wolf finally moved. He was furious, he'd been all poised to strike when, low and behold, some woman had yelled the girls name and he'd had to freeze. The girl had stumbled away, tripping as she went, and he had to watch, as his prey got away. Oh, he'd take his anger out on someone, but right now he had to get out of there. As he reached the tree line, he rose back up onto two feet. He paused, focusing, before retaking his Mirage form. He couldn't even look at the young man, and instead headed off round the dark grounds. The young man sighed and paused, to look back up at the hotel, before disappearing through the trees. The man reached the staff entrance to the hotel, and knocked three times. The door opened, and he gave a smile to the person stood there. The two then made their way to the entrance hall, before going up to their rooms.

* * *

I jumped slightly, as a sound woke me. I had to have fallen asleep sometime, but I didn't remember the point at which I had. I slowly sat up and sighed, for I was still in my clothes. I glanced around, for what it was that had woken me, but I couldn't see that anything had changed. I was about to look for my pyjamas, when the sound came again and I realised it was the door. I made my way over, stretching as I went, and slowly opened the door. However, the person that stood there, was one of the last people I expected.

"I didn't wake you did I?" asked Jimmy, quietly.

I half smiled to myself, as it wasn't as if I'd gone to bed.

"No, not really," I replied, my yawn giving me away.

"Damn, I'm sorry…" he started, shifting on his feet, his hand subconsciously going to the back of his neck. "I'll just go,"

"No, Jimmy, wait," I said, talking hold of his arm.

He paused and looked at me. His face showed signs of exhaustion and sadness, plus maybe a little guilt.

"Come on in," I said, and with a sigh he entered.

"I'm really sorry, it's just, I couldn't even contemplate bed without trying to sort things with you," he explained, sadly.

I indicated he should sit on the bed. I turned a lamp on, bringing light and warmth into the room. Yet apparently, one look at my face made him feel worse.

"I'm a complete jerk!" he said, now turning his face away.

I came round to him and knelt down to his level.

"No you're not, why would you even think that?" I said, soothingly, hating to see him looking so downtrodden.

"I made you cry, that makes me a bigger jerk then before," he said, sadly his blue/grey orbs meeting mine.

"What, this?" I said, pointing to my face and giving him an incredulous look. "This wasn't because of you,"

I knew it was a lie, and, somewhere inside me, I knew he only had to take one look at my face to know it was one too.

"Don't ever play poker against me," he said, a slight smile gracing his features.

"I know, I'd take you for all the possessions you owned, it would just be pitiful," I said, making that slight smile of his broaden.

"Don't do that," he said, slowly looking at me.

I gave him a look of 'what?'.

"Don't try and make me feel better about what I did to you, what I said…" he continued, but I shushed him.

"It's past, forgiven," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder and squeezing.

"But…" he tried, I shook my head.

I got up now grabbing up my pyjamas and heading for the bathroom. I knew he was too tired to argue.

"So, how was your evening," I called out, to him.

"Um, boring, just sat and drank with Shane," he replied, I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. "It was all a bit quiet down there,"

"An' has everyone gone to bed now?" I questioned, needing to know.

"Yeah, as far as I know, why?" he asked, sleepily.

"Oh, just wondered, you know, as I kinda agreed to help people and then haven't done so," I replied, slowly. "How about yourself, how are you feeling?"

"Quite tired," he said, his voice fading.

I came out of the bathroom to find his head nodding and in fact, he was very close to pitching forward off the bed.

"Jimmy," I said, quietly.

He jumped a little and turned slowly.

"Sorry," he said, sleepily.

"It's fine, look I've got to just go get something. Why don't you wait here till I come back?" I said, kindly. "We can finish talking then,"

"Um, well," he started, seemingly unsure.

"Look, just lie on my bed and I'll be back in like, five minutes," I said, coaxing him gently to do so.

He lay down on the bed, propping his head up by putting his hands behind his head. Yet he paused, and made to get up again.

"I might not last that long, maybe I should just go," he said, looking at me, his eyes half closed.

I shook my head and gently encouraged him back down.

"Trust me, I'll be five minutes," I said, giving him a smile.

He sighed.

"Ok, five minutes then," he said, his eyes starting to droop.

I nodded and left the room. I knew I'd be a lot longer then five minutes, and I knew he'd be fast asleep by the time I came back, but I knew it was the right thing to do. I had to keep my promise to my Saves and so, round I went. I entered each of their rooms and sent them deeper into their sleep, so they would not dream. By the time I came back, Jimmy was out for the count on my bed. I smiled, and ensured he was deeply asleep, before removing his shoes and manoeuvring him under the covers. Being a large double bed, I was comfortable getting in the other side. I glanced at Jimmy's sleeping form and smiled, maybe, just maybe, this week, wouldn't be so bad after all…

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So, how was that? Lot's of things happening in this chapter. Now as I said above I'm off on five weeks of field work, so this will be the last chapter for a bit. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and you can tell me what you think, good or bad, by pressing that review button. It really does make my day! *Puppy Dog Eyes*


	7. Chapter 7 The Need to Understand

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi, thanks to HonoraryDAMember, becca85 and Neon Jack for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember**, I'm happy you had a good birthday and very happy you loved the chapter. I really hope you like this one too. Enjoy! **To Becca**, I am fascinated by your theories and will be interested to know who you my think at the end of this chapter. Maybe the same, maybe not. Kevin is a great dog, I love Kevin, he's awesome! Hope you enjoy this one! **To Neon Jack**, I'm glad you like all the tension and creepiness, I really hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Now I'm really sorry about how long this has taken, I've been so busy and had so much going on i have struggled to find the time to write this. Yet have no fear for I am determined to see it through to the end! Now I can't give a specific date for the next chapter but know, it is coming. I hope this chapter has been worth the wait.

Now warning that there is some words of bad language in here. So you are warned! Now without further ado, read on dear readers and enjoy. Oh...and don't forget to review!

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**_Chapter seven-The Need to Understand_**

_BOOM! FLASH! There were explosions everywhere. People screaming and shadowy shapes dashing about. Then there was a building, a church with big oak double doors and made of old grey stone. I saw other faces, they were fuzzy, but familiar and they were all looking at me, questioning me. Then I saw a head shot of Chloe and she was screaming, and then a snarling figure erupted through the image, its teeth going for my face…_

I sat up gasping, and actual sweat running down my face. I was unsure whether it was a warning or not. Something about it told me, that maybe just maybe, the fears Ryan and I had laughed off may not be so unjustified. I glanced to my right, worrying I'd woken Jimmy, but he was still sound asleep. I snuck out of the bed and headed for the shower. I allowed the water to just run down my body. All I could think about was the dream as, when not on a case or on a case where the info is sparse, occasionally we will be warned of coming events by dreams or flashback style images.

As I got out, I looked in the mirror. I wasn't looking entirely myself, but then the stress of worrying about my saves, wasn't helping. I came back into the room, and found I had to smile at how peaceful Jimmy looked asleep. All the worry and the pain, gone from his features and part of me wished he could remain relaxed. I sighed, ran a towel through my hair and proceeded to get dressed. It was as I was tying my hair back, that I heard a knock at the door. Wondering who it could be, I slowly approached the door and opened it carefully. To my surprise, Chloe was stood there, she looked uneasy.

"Chloe?" I questioned, watching her face.

"Hey, you know, you're the only one who's answered the door," she said, a sad look on her pretty face.

"Ah, well, that's because I helped people sleep last night," I said, with a apologetic look. "So waking them will be like trying to get Shane up after a heavy night of drinking,"

She smiled at that.

"Well, that explains a lot, including why Cal wouldn't wake up," she said, brushing a strand of her hair from her face. "I was trying to inform people of the changes to the schedule,"

"Changes?" I queried, unsure.

"Well, we've moved the wedding to tomorrow, or I should say, we're moving it to tomorrow," she explained, slowly. "I just want to be married you know,"

I nodded, understanding completely.

"Well, we can tell them a little later," I said, kindly. "Give them a bit more vital rest,"

She nodded and gave me a smile.

"I'll go and try to get a little more then," she said, with a sigh.

I paused and glanced at her.

"Chloe? Did you not sleep well?" I questioned, giving her a look.

"Sort of, I woke up later then usual, I suppose," she said, slowly.

"I'm sorry, maybe I didn't send you as deep as I thought," I replied, annoyed at myself.

"Don't worry, you've had a lot on your mind," she said, as she stifled a yawn. "Anyway, I'm going to go and try and get a few more hours,"

"You want my help?" I asked, watching her.

"No, it's fine," she said, now, a smile gracing her face. "I'll see you later,"

She left and I turned back into the room. I glanced at Jimmy, while I thought about everything. It was definitely a good idea to change the week up a bit. The further it was from the other one, the better. Plus, it would give me more time to help my Saves. As Jimmy shifted slightly in his sleep, I realised what I could do right now to help. I got up, having sat down on the bed, and with one last look at him, I left, heading for a specific room.

As I reached the door, I took a breath before knocking. I didn't expect a reply, but I knew it was the polite thing to do. I now opened the door quietly, and headed into the darkened room. I felt bad about waking the person within, who was sleeping peacefully in the bed, but I had to talk to them.

"Abby, Abby," I said, softly, while shaking her. "Wake up, Abby,"

She came round slowly, squinting at me and blinking.

"Rebcca?" she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"I'm really sorry, but I need to talk to you," I explained, quietly.

"Oh, ok," she said, sleeply.

She slowly sat up, and proceeded to move the pillow to use as a prop. I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You're gonna ask me about what happened with Jimmy, aren't you?" she said, slowly her eyes unable to meet mine.

"How'd you guess," I asked, knowing it was the most obvious reason for me to wake her up.

She gave me a weak smile.

"Should I start from after you left?" she asked, slowly.

"Well, whatever makes it easier for you to explain, so I understand," I replied, with a smile.

She nodded and began.

_It was after you vanished in The Marlin, that we all realised, at that moment, what we'd all been through. It hit us, like a wave, and I think we all then wished we hadn't let you leave so easy. We should have probably taken a stand and done anything to make you stay, but it was too late. I was lost in thought, staring out at the ocean, like many others, marvelling at how beautiful it now looked. I suppose everyone who goes through a near death experience, goes through that stage of finding the time to appreciate all the things around you. I was brought back to reality by a movement to my right, which was Jimmy joining me, and although he was still leaning heavily, he somehow managed to slide his arm round me. I near jumped at his touch, but then relaxed into him, enjoying his warmth that seemed to radiate from him. I don't know how long we stood there, but it was Ryan who eventually talked sense into us._

"_Right guys, we need to get moving," announced Ryan, raising his voice above the sounds of the city and the sea. "We can't have you catching your deaths out here,"_

"_Yeah, I suppose," said Sully, his tone sullen._

"_I bet if Rebecca was here, she'd say the same," said Jake, backing up his partner._

"_Well, she'd probably put it a little differently," commented Nikki, and everyone murmured their agreement. _

"_So, to the coaches," said Ryan, as cheerfully as he could manage, though he too understood the moods of everyone._

"_I can't even imagine, what it's gonna be like to go back to a normal life," I whispered to Jimmy, tears forming in my eyes. "Alone with just the cat in that apartment,"_

"_Alone?" he said, turning me to him. "What makes you think I'm not coming with you,"_

"_Why would you want to live with me?" I asked, my brain unable to understand. "I'm the reason you don't have a home,"_

"_No, don't you dare think that," he said, now sternly. "It was Henry and Henry alone,"_

"_But…"_

"_No buts, now lets get going before the coaches leave without us," he said, a smile creeping on his face._

_I knew, right then, that he'd be there for me through thick and thin. Yet, already in my mind there were doubts of whether I could do the same for him._

_When we reached the coaches, a lot of people were already on. Danny was helping Sully, Ryan and Jake, load peoples bags on. I think Sully was mainly doing it, cause he needed something to take his mind off you leaving, Danny was just trying to support his friend. Ryan offered to help Jimmy onto the coach, and so I went first, followed by Jimmy and then Ryan at the back. Together, we managed to get Jimmy seated, in a seat near the front and once we were all ready, off the coaches went. _

_I have to say, that was one of the quietest coach journeys I've ever had. Jimmy, though he tried talk to me and be there for me, was asleep within twenty minutes. He wasn't the only one though, lots of people including Shane, Nikki, Shea, Trish and even eventually Sully, all fell asleep. I lasted until it was getting dark, and then I used Jimmy's shoulder to get some rest. You see, no one wanted to be in Seattle right then, too close to Harper's, I suppose. Mr Wellington had offered us to stay in some of the properties he had, that were about as far as we could get from Seattle. You would have been proud, at how accommodating Mr Wellington was. We had thought that spending several weeks together, would help us support each other and it was a good idea. The problem only started, when people started wanting there own space. You probably would think it was Shane, who was likely the first person to want it, but in fact it, was Chloe and Trish. So finally, we all went our separate ways. Well, reasonably separate. _

_So Jimmy and I went back to LA, to my little apartment and we settle in there again. Jimmy tried to drag Shane along, but he wished to stay in Seattle, near the port. Jimmy seemed unhappy about this, but he couldn't do much about it. Nikki and Kelly, however, came with us and we helped them find a little a place of their own. Everything was fine, for the first few weeks. Even though we missed you like crazy, and I can tell you there were a few people who missed you more then others, we kept trying to keep each other sane. Jimmy would attempt to contact Shane, it wasn't always possible and several times when he did get hold of him, he was off his head drunk. In fact, Jimmy did at one point go and see him and he was in a right state when he did, but you'd have to talk to him about that. Anyway, we weren't doing too bad, I think Jimmy was happy just to be with me. Then came the day, that I started seeing…well seeing him. He would be standing at the checkout, in the street, in a passing car and even in my apartment. I knew they were hallucinations, and I really wanted to talk to Jimmy about it, but I couldn't, so I started going to see Kelly and Nikki. They weren't happy I wouldn't tell Jimmy, but they understood my reasoning not to. _

_Then about two weeks after that, I started having dreams which would cause me to wake up in the middle of the night. This is when, I really started to notice that Jimmy was suffering too. I would wake and find him not there, more often then I had realised. I had before, had other dreams, but they weren't as frequent and I'd occasionally woken up to find Jimmy not there. I tried to talk to him about his own dreams, but he waved them off. I remember one time, when I'd woken from a particular vivid dream, and Jimmy was gone. So I got up and came through to the living room, to find him sound asleep on the couch, a hot drink, that had now gone cold, on the coffee table and his mobile with your number highlighted. You see, when we'd stayed at Thomas Wellington's places, Sully had mentioned the chat he'd had with Jake, and how we should only ring you if we really required you. He'd obviously been considering if what he was going through, was really worth it. I felt really bad about it and that's when I started to realise, that Jimmy would never deal with his own problems while I was there. He was too worried about me, and I was not in a state to support him. So at the time, when these thoughts started to form, I placed a blanket over him and went back to my bed. _

_Halfway through the second month, was when the screaming started. Jimmy started first, but he struggled to cope with it. I tried to comfort him, but he wouldn't have it. One of the times I woke before him, he was rolling side to side, jerking and mumbling your name. I knew he couldn't understand why you hadn't returned yet, and the truth is, I wanted you back too. We all needed you, as none of us were coping. I tried to get Nikki to talk to Jimmy, about his suffering, but even she couldn't get him to open up. He cared too much about us, and put himself aside. We would talk about it, about you and the others. Some people weren't going out anymore, including Sully, Beth, Shea, and Brent. JD had come up to LA, and Kelly had moved in with him. Shane was doing ok, as far as we knew. It was just becoming chaos, and you were not there. We knew we should only call you if we needed you, and really, I think then was the time we really did, but there was always that thought in our minds. What if by calling you, someone you would have saved lost their life, we'd be responsible._

_By the third month, everyone was having dreams and they were not eating well, locking themselves away. We sent Danny round to see Sully, to try and get him to open up, though you'd have to ask Danny about that. Then it took me ten minutes to get Nikki to open up the door, and when she did, she looked exhausted and pale. I tried to help her, but doing so, while I can see Henry sat across from me smirking with Wakefield at his side, made it harder. It was around that time, that some people's longing for you to return became hatred that you didn't appear. They were wishing telepathically that you'd come and you didn't, and they started to feel you'd just abandoned us. Others refused to believe that, interestingly enough Shane was one of them. When we heard from him again, he couldn't believe any of us would think that and at the time, Sully and Jimmy were the same. I don't think that anyone truly wanted to believe that it was true._

_I was struggling to get any sleep at the time, I was struggling with my job and Jimmy was exhausted as it was. It pained me to see him like that, and to know I was adding to the stress he was already dealing with, made it worse. I would constantly find him dozing around the apartment, and I assume, I did it too. Yet, what finally made it clear to me what I had to do, happened near the end of that third month. We had gone to bed and I was dozing, when I heard Jimmy leave the room. I got up and went to find him and when I did, he was stood near the window. He was just staring out and drinking something._

"_Jimmy?" I questioned, slowly. "What are you doing?"_

"_Hey, Abby," he replied, the tiredness in his tone. "Just watching the world go by,"_

"_What are you drinking?" I asked, coming towards him._

"_Nothing," he said, casually._

"_Yes you are, I saw you," I replied, as I stood beside him._

_He sighed and showed me the can. It was one of those energy drinks._

"_Why, Jimmy?" I asked, looking him in the eyes._

"_I just needed some energy," he sighed, glancing back out the window._

"_Sleep is what you need," I replied, caressing his face. "What we both need,"_

"_Yeah, well, you should go and get some rest," he said, turning from me._

"_So should you, come back and get some rest Jimmy," I asked, quietly._

"_I will," he said, now turning to me. "Don't worry,"_

_Yet, I could read him, and I knew he wouldn't come back. In fact he did, but it was half six in the morning when he did. My alarm went off at seven and I played along, pretended I'd just woken. He looked at me sleepily._

"_When did you come to bed?" I asked, watching his expression._

"_Half an hour after you, but you were asleep," he replied, and it hurt me that he was lying._

_He wasn't looking after himself, and it got worse. Maybe he caught onto the fact, I knew he was staying awake or he talked to Shane, but he then took to drinking instead. I tried to talk to him about it, but it was getting worse. My hallucinations and dreams were truly getting to me, and Jimmy was becoming more and more stressed. Then one time, when he was quite drunk, he started yelling about how he wanted you to come back. That he really needed you, and how he was desperate. He then just broke down and I sat with him, until he fell asleep. I must have fallen asleep too, but I was woken by his screaming. He was still asleep, but screaming and struggling and it took me over five minutes to wake him. When I finally calmed him, got him into bed and he was sleeping soundly, I took my chance to look at going somewhere else for a bit. He needed to start caring about himself, and not me all the time. As I said, I was in no state to care for him, as I couldn't even fix myself. I had no one to talk to about it, but I knew it had to be done._

_So the next day, when Jimmy seemed more with it, I tried to discuss it with him. Maybe he didn't hear me properly or understand my reasoning, but he got quite angry. He argued it wouldn't work, he didn't want me to leave. If it was because he was pining after you, then he'd stop, he'd put it behind him. I tried to tell him, that it was nothing to do with you and that seemed to make him think, it meant it was definitely true. He said he was sorry, that he wanted me and only me. Every time I tried to reason with him, he believed I was lying. Now I think about it, it may have been because he recently found out about my hallucinations off Nikki. He may have believed that, I was hiding other things from him, but you'd have to talk to him. Yet my mind was made up and I packed, Minx the cat and I moved out. At the time it seemed the right thing to do, but instead of helping him, it made him worse. He rang me repeatedly, leaving hundreds of messages, and I didn't know what to do. He got mad at himself and blamed himself, he blamed you, he just lost it. _

"So now you might understand, why he's been acting like he has," she finished, finally, tears rolling down her face. "Not even my Dad could get through to him, after I left,"

"Hey, it's okay," I said, comforting her. "You did what you thought was right,"

"But I made him hate you, and I hurt him worse then when I left the first time," she said, sadly. "I made it worse, for him,"

"If he'd been in a state to believe you, then it may have worked better," I explained, while squeezing her shoulder. "It wasn't entirely your fault okay, but it does tell me something,"

"What?" she asked, sniffing.

"That you still care deeply about him, and you haven't given up on being with him," I said, kindly.

She looked at me, her dark brown eyes still unable to meet mine.

"You really think we still have a chance," she said, quietly.

"Yes, you both still love each other, that is clear," I said, raising her chin, so she looked me in the eyes. "So, yes, you still have a chance, if you can help each other and forgive each other,"

"I will try," she said, quietly.

"That's all I ask," I said, smiling. "Thanks for talking to me,"

She nodded.

"Well you can nap for a bit and there will be a late brunch at twelve, okay" I continued, now getting up.

"Okay," she nodded, lying back down. "I'll see you later,"

I nodded and left her to her thoughts.

I headed down to the reception, to inform Annie McClide of the changes from breakfast to brunch, and she was very accommodating. I then went back up to my room. Jimmy was still sleeping, and so, I settled myself on the bed with a book and lay reading. However, twenty minutes into my reading, Jimmy started moaning and moving. I glanced down and realised he'd started dreaming. I gave him an odd look and put down my book.

"Jimmy, it's okay," I started, in a soothing voice running my fingers through his hair. "Relax Jimmy, it's a dream,"

He kept jerking and moaning, and I knew then I had to wake him.

"Jimmy, wake up, Jimmy," I called, to him now, shaking him lightly. "Come back to me Jimmy. Wake up!"

Jimmy jolted slightly and his eyes flickered open.

"What…where," he mumbled, and then blinked rapidly, in an effort focus on me. "Rebecca?"

"Hey," I said, softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Sleepy," he replied, starting to sit up.

"Well, that's understandable, but tell me, what were you dreaming about?" I asked, looking at him with concern.

"Oh, um, it was nothing," he tried, but he took one look at my expression and knew it wasn't enough. "Wakefield and Henry,"

"What were they doing?" I questioned, as he swung he legs over the side of the bed.

"Killing people, stringing me up and laughing," he explained, slowly. "Henry taking Abby away…"

He trailed off and sat with his back to me.

"Jimmy?" I said, softly.

"You tricked me," he said, now, he then stood up and walked to the window.

"What do you mean?" I said, watching him.

"You allowed me to fall asleep in here," he continued, keeping his back to me.

"You were tired, I went to do something and when I came back, you were fast asleep," I said, now getting up too.

"You said five minutes, you were longer," he said, as I approached him. "You knew I couldn't hold out for long,"

"I went to fulfil the promise I made to the others," I explained, now. "I knew I had to do it,"

"And **you knew** I wanted to talk to you," he said, turning and giving me a pained look. "I needed to talk and **you** let me fall asleep,"

"But I told you, I had forgiven you," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off.

"I haven't forgiven me, why should you have," he said, now, anger rising in his voice. "All I've wanted for the past months, was you back and when you do, I let feelings, that have been milling around, take control of me,"

"You had to blame someone after what you went through," I said, slowly and his eyes met mine.

"What do you know?" he questioned, trying to read me. "Who did you talk to,"

I paused, preparing myself for his reaction.

"Abby, I talked to Abby," I said, waiting for the anger, but it never came.

"Did she lie to you, like she has being doing to me?" he asked, a sadness flowing over his features.

"She didn't lie, or at least, she believed what she was saying to be true," I said, with confidence.

He looked at me.

"You're sure?" he said, something in his tone.

"Yes, love," I replied, with a soft smile. "As sure as the sky is blue, I am a Death Jumper after all,"

"It's grey actually," he said, in the same dull tone.

I rolled my eyes and slowly a smile broke on to his face.

"What did she tell you?" he asked, the smile fading a little.

"She told me what I needed to know. How you got the nightmares first, and how you weren't really looking after yourself," I explained, leading him to the end of the bed. "How she was having hallucinations and dreams too, and that you were caring more for her then yourself. How you handled things, and the reasons she left,"

"She told you everything, I guess," he sighed, as we sat down together on the end of the bed. "She was right in that I wasn't handling it well. At one point, I even tried to stay awake so I wouldn't dream,"

"She said, but you **do** understand why she left?" I said, knowing he wasn't comfortable with her answer.

"She left, because I wasn't looking after myself, but I don't know if that's really it," he said, sadly his eyes meeting mine. "I can't tell what she's feeling any more, or whether she's lying. It just, doesn't seem valid as a reason,"

"You've just answered you own question," I said, slowly and his face showed confusion. "The fact you don't know what she's feeling and such, suggests that you **yourself** don't know what your feeling. It's very hard to understand how someone else is feeling, when **you** can't comprehend it,"

He glanced away from me, staring at his feet. I sat there with him, giving him time to reply.

"She realised I couldn't look after her, when I couldn't look after myself," he said, slowly emotion in his tone. "She could see, what I couldn't…"

"Yes," I said, softly. "She only did what she thought was right. It was a good idea, but by the time she realised and executed it, you were too far gone,"

"By then, I couldn't cope really at all," he said, more to himself then me. "Now I've lost her…again,"

"No, you haven't," I said, with a soft smile and turning him to me. "There's still a chance for you both, you just need to get yourselves sorted,"

"Like that's gonna happen," he said, sadly, his eyes filling with tears.

"With my help, it might very well do," I said, pulling him into a hug. "I haven't given up on you yet, don't give up on me,"

He sobbed as he hugged me, bringing back memories of the first time Abby left. I held him, soothing him as best as I could.

"I've really missed you," he whispered, through the tears.

"And I've missed you," I replied, just as softly.

"Don't leave us again," he said, squeezing me a little harder.

"Well, I can't promise that," I said, and he held on tighter. "But, I promise you that I will not leave until I'm satisfied you're all alright, and I can always come back and see you all,"

He looked up at me, his blue/grey orbs meeting my silver blue ones.

"You promise?" he asked, quietly.

"Yes," I said, giving him a smile.

Seemingly satisfied with this, he relaxed his head on my chest and we sat there in an embrace for a while.

"You know what?" he said, now, the tiredness had crept back into his tone. "I think, I might have forgiven myself,"

"Good, cause it wasn't your fault," I said, softly, I now started to encourage us to lie on the bed.

"But, you need to stop taking all the crap from us," he said, his tone serious, as he now paused and looked at me.

I was nervous, I had my own reasons for always forgiving people, as well as the obvious ones.

"I don't take it," I tried, but to no avail.

"Yeah, you do," he said, now lying next to me. "I know you value our friendship, but it's not like we'd stop being your friends, if you told us to get off your back once in a while,"

"Mmm," I murmured, sighing.

"Just saying," he said, carefully, now relaxing his head on me.

"I know," I replied, watching him settle.

We lay there till twelve, he dozed while I continued reading. At twelve, I woke him gently and he seemed in much better spirits. He headed off back to his own room to get a shower, while I headed down to the entrance hall. People were milling about, Beth, Danny, Booth, Ben and Nikki were all stood in a little group.

"You guys coming to brunch?" I queried, glancing at each of them in turn.

"Oh, um, yeah, ok," replied Booth, with a small smile. "We didn't know it was on,"

"No worries, I arranged it at short notice, due to the fact I knew everyone would be sleeping past breakfast," I said, giving him a smile back.

"Thanks," said Ben, quietly.

"Well, I'll see you in there then," I responded, noticing for the first time Nikki gave me a genuine smile.

Everyone seemed happier. To my joy, everyone seemed able to manage to eat a little and for the first time, since I'd arrived, no one gave me an evil look. Well, except maybe Andrew, but I doubted he'd be that easy to win over. It was even better when both Jimmy and Shane joined us on the table, along with Trish and of course Cal and Chloe. I was so happy at that point. After we'd finished Cal, stood up to announce the change in plans. Everyone accepted them without question, and soon people were leaving to go get ready.

"So you're coming to the bachelorette party right?" question Trish, as she linked her arm round mine. "Cause last time…well u, went to the bachelor party instead,"

I saw that it brought back painful memories.

"Yeah, I guess I am," I said, with a smile. "I don't think I'm gonna get a choice,"

"Well, there can be no hens in the coop," said Jason, while slinging his arm round Cal's shoulders. "At least none who will be at the wedding,"

I saw Cal give him a worried look.

"You promised no surprises, Collins," he said, watching his friend.

"Oh come on, what is the best man for, if not to cause a little mischief! Plus, it's you stag do, your last night as a free man," he replied, with a grin. "What happened to the trickster extraordinaire?"

"He grew up," said Cal, with a shake of his head. "Well, a little…"

They laughed and strolled away together.

The parties weren't as wild, as they could have been. Though the stag do did involve some interesting rules, which we all saw put into play. The forfeit being, whoever lost had to do something entirely naked, though not everyone agreed to this said rule. The girls were much more laid back. We had some drinking games, including 'I have never…' which, as usual, very quickly went to dirty, but otherwise it was quite quiet. Whether it was the tiredness or just the fact they were starting to feel more relaxed, no one seemed particularly keen to get that drunk. Some, like poor Cal, did not have a choice as multiple drinks were bought for him and he was made to drink them. Though, I found out that the others had tried to help him by stealing some of the drinks, he still came back, supported between four of them, barely conscious at all. The rest staggered in, while we were all sat watching some of Chloe's favourite movies and playing some drinking games to them. Some of the guys, now, crashed our party, and Chloe's expression said it all.

"Oi! Either sit down and shut up, or get out!" she said, authoritatively.

She got a resounding chorus of oooohs, but they did shut up. Sully happened to be one of them, who slumped down on the floor with us to watch the film. He slowly shuffled along, until he was right next to me.

"Hey," he whispered, his words a little slurry.

"Hi," I responded, glancing at him. "Is there something you wanted?"

"No, just was saying hi," he said, quietly.

"Oh, ok," I replied, shifting to get comfy again. "The Stag do go ok,"

He paused; I assumed as his foggy brain tried to understand what I'd said.

"Oh, yeah, though you see Cal, he's completely fucked," he said, a slight smirk on his face. "His friend bought him, God knows how many drinks,"

"Where is he?" I asked, concern now crossing my features. "If he's that drunk, he shouldn't be left on his own,"

"He's fine, the others will make sure he's good," said Sully, trying to keep me calm.

"Well, I should still probably go check," I said, making to get up.

"No…no, it's fine, I'll go," he said, staggering to his feet.

Upon actually getting up, he swayed precariously and almost ended up on his nose.

"Whoo, steady," I said, making a grab for him to steady him.

"Or maybe I shouldn't," he said, as I stood up beside him.

Chloe glanced at me, as did Trish.

"I'll be back in a few minutes ok?" I said, to them and they gave me a nod.

Sully and I now headed off to Cal and Chloe's room. Cal, turned out to be in a separate room for that night only, however, due to some wedding traditions. As we knocked and entered, I found there were quite a few people in there. They all looked up as I did.

"Oh, Rebecca, what are you doing here?" asked Danny, who was knelt by Cal.

"I heard Cal was in a bad way," I said, calmly surveying the scene. "I came to check he was okay,"

"Didn't think we were capable, huh?" murmured Shane, with a slight smirk.

"Well, lets say I took one look at the state of Sully here, and thought I'd better check," I said, grinning slightly.

"Harsh," muttered Sully, with a look my way.

"But true," added Mal, with a smile.

Sully made to hit Mal playfully, and almost tripped in doing so. I made my way to Cal's prone form, he was lying face down on the floor, having not made it to the bed. Danny now gave me some space, as I assessed Cal's state.

"Cal? Cal, can u here me?" I asked, sweeping his hair from his face. "Cal? Come on sweetie,"

"Mmm," he groaned, finally. "Wha…"

"It's okay Cal, I'm gonna help you," I said, calmly, trying to reassure him. "I'm gonna get you up slowly now,"

I started to lift him slowly, he'd been sick and got it down himself. He was certainly in a state.

"Okay, guys I need you all out the room," I ordered, as I managed to get Cal into a sitting position on the floor.

"You don't need any help with him?" asked Jimmy, I could hear the concern in his tone.

"Which of you, has had the least to drink?" I asked, now looking between them.

They looked unsure.

"Okay, let me phrase that differently," I said, rolling my eyes. "Who here, is most sober?"

"I'd say Jimmy and or Danny," suggested Shane, indicating to each of them.

"I need to go see to Booth," replied Danny, slowly. "He wasn't doing too good,"

"I can help you with that," added Mal, now joining Danny.

"Well then, Jimmy, if you wouldn't mind?" I said, looking at him.

He gave me a small reassuring smile.

"Sure," he said, calmly.

He, right there, did not know how happy he was making me.

"Right okay, Jimmy, you stay, everyone else out now," I said, seriously.

They left and I now worked with Jimmy, to get Cal cleaned up. I was never very comfortable cleaning up sick, the smell alone, was enough to make me feel the same way.

"I'm sooorrrry," slurred Cal, as he became more aware of his surroundings.

"It's not your fault, love," I soothed, gently.

"I tried…" he started, but his words then became incoherent.

"What sweety?" I asked, trying to understand him.

"Too many drinks," he mumbled, sleepily.

"His friend, Collins, was plying him with multiple drinks and forcing him to drink them," explained Jimmy, patting Cal on the shoulder. "He didn't stand a chance,"

"I see, well, Cal, I need you to drink some water, you feel up to that?" I queried, gently.

"No more drink," moaned Cal, quietly.

"It's just water Cal, no alcohol, I promise," I said, softly looking him in the eyes.

"Okay, Rebebcca," he slurred, his head nodding slightly.

I saw Jimmy grin slightly, but I gave him a look and he now passed me the water. I put it to Cal's lips, and he sipped it slowly. He managed half a glass, before he started to retch again. Jimmy grabbed the bin, and I rubbed Cal's back while he threw up. When he had finally stopped, I wiped his mouth and he flopped, exhausted, against me.

"So sleepy," he mumbled, his eyelids drooping.

"Just a little more water," I encouraged.

This time he kept it down. When I was satisfied he had as much as he could take, I finally allowed him to relax and shut his eyes. He fell into a deep sleep, relatively quickly, lent against me. I made to lie him down safely on his side, so if he was sick again, he wouldn't choke, and placed the bin beside his bed. We then left him to sleep, turning his light out as we went. I wondered around, checking on people I could find. Then and only then, did I head back down and enjoy the rest of the party. As we headed up stairs, Chloe pulled me aside to ask what had happened. I explained to her, that Cal had got a little too drunk, but that he was fine and she was not to worry. As she headed to the room she had shared with her fiancée, I headed back to check on him. He was sleeping soundly as I entered, and satisfied, I now headed off to bed myself.

_Creak, Creak, Snap!_

_BOOM!_

_People running, as something huge came out of the dark and into the day light. Then gasping, as it crashed into something or someone. Screaming. Faces flashing, but all their expressions the same. Flames rising all around great oak double doors. Creaking, the scraping of metal and then someone screaming…_

I gasped awake, this was ridiculous, but whatever it was, it wasn't looking good. My senses tingled, and I shook off the bad feeling. Sighing, I went for a shower to calm my nerves.

Breakfast that morning, was a relatively quiet affair. Although everyone was there including, impressively, Cal, no one talked much. I knew hangover's being the main cause, but also due to the fact that today, both the rehearsal and the wedding were occurring. The last time most of these people had been at a rehearsal for a wedding, had been Trish's, which had of course included the tragic death of Thomas Wellington and the realisation, that something was definitely wrong on Harper's Island. I could sense the tension that gripped the room. As we headed to get ready, I spotted Thomas, he looked troubled.

"You okay, Mr Wellington?" I asked, concern on my face.

"Yes, thank you, Rebecca," he said, calmly. "Just remembering,"

"It's understandable, you'll be fine," I said, though even I felt apprehensive. "Just be careful, common sense and the like,"

He smiled slightly, which wasn't a common thing with him.

"Let's just say, I don't plan to stand under any chandeliers," he said, with a look.

"I should hope not," I said, smiling too.

Though we were making light of it, the last time hadn't been a laughing matter. I hoped with all my heart, it wouldn't go wrong.

The worrying was, however, all for nothing. In fact, the rehearsal couldn't have gone smoother. I watched as Chloe and Cal practiced exchanging their vows, and I felt pure happiness that all of this could occur, because of what I'd done. It was beautiful and perfect and in my heart, I only wished that Trish's could have worked out. We went back to the hotel for a light lunch of sandwiches, before we started getting ready for the actual ceremony. I helped Shane get ready as much as I could, so he at least passed for respectable. Once I was satisfied, that Shane would be actually allowed into the church, I headed off to get ready myself. I chose a green, silk, knee length dress, topped with a small black jacket and black strap shoes. I had no need to change the sliver wolf necklace, that seemed to actually go with everything I chose to wear. I now headed down to join the rest of the guests, who were gathering in the entrance hall. We were to be taxied there, to save everyone's good clothes. Part way down, I knocked to check on the bride.

"Who is it?" called Beth, who was naturally one of Chloe's bridesmaids.

"Rebecca," I answered, clearly.

Beth opened the door and let me in.

Chloe looked stunning in her floor length, mix of lace and silk, white dress. She looked perfect, just as Trish had done. The only thing that didn't seem right, was her expression.

"You look amazing," I said, staring at her. "But, what's wrong?"

She turned to me.

"Lucy Turner text me originally, to tell me she would be coming back for the wedding, but she's not here," she sighed, sadly.

"Where is she?" I asked, my expression changing.

"Oh, she's gone off with this bartender guy and she's being her usual selfish self," answered Trish, with a sigh.

"I see," I said, unsure. "Well, whether she's here or not, it shouldn't spoil your day,"

"I know, it's just…" started Chloe, slowly.

"It's not helping your nerves?" I said, kindly, approaching her. "You'll be fine, you look stunning, and Cal won't know what's hit him,"

She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," she said, quietly.

"I'll see you there," I replied, with a smile.

As the mini bus pulled up outside the church, I glanced up at the grey stone building. It's door wide open and ready to receive us all. The groomsmen, directed us to our seats. Cal was already there, pacing up and down, while Jason watched him. Everyone seemed just as nervous as Cal, but also eager to see the wedding. I glanced around at everyone there, and then the people in my row. I was sat next to the isle and on my right, were Shane and Jimmy, who they'd wisely decided to keep away from Abby, as they were still not talking. We waited for quite a while and finally, as Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring started on the organ, Chloe was walked down the isle by her brother. The bridesmaids Trish, Beth, Lucy and Sarah all following behind her, as the procession passed by. Cal greeted Chloe and the service began. When it came to the point, as in every wedding, where the priest asked if anyone objected, Sully shuffled slightly, as if he was going to say something. This in turn caused Sully and Cal exchange glances, which caused me to have do everything, not to laugh. Sully had once objected to the couple, which had resulted in interesting and, at times, hilarious consequences, but he now was very happy that they were together. He shrugged and grinned, and so the priest continued.

I was so drawn in by the romance though, that I never saw half the looks Sully seemed to throw my way, and I was unsure, if he saw any of the ones I sent back. I knew, there was still much to work out between us. Even if our relationship couldn't be saved, I'd do all in my power to save the friendship.

It finally came to the giving of rings and Cal turned expectantly to Jason, who reached into his pocket to retrieve them. Yet he paused, and then tried his other pocket. We all sat there waiting for the rings, but it appeared that Jason hadn't got them.

"This isn't a joke is it, mate?" asked Cal, slight exasperation in his voice.

"Um, no, I think they're in my room," he said, quietly.

Cal sighed, obviously thinking what to do.

"I can go get them," offered Jason, looking awkward.

"You'd have to be fast," he said, with a shake of his head.

"Uh, ok," he said, with a nod and turning to the rest of us announced. "I'm a complete twit and I've left the rings in my room, so I'm gonna go get 'em,"

Whey! came the reply from several of us.

"I can go," I offered, standing up. "I'm much faster,"

"We couldn't allow…" started Chloe, but I shook my head.

"No probs, chuck us you keys," I interjected, indicating to Jason.

"Uh ok," he said, and chucked them.

I caught them easily and turned on my heel.

"Be back in five," I called, as I made for the door.

I left out the door, which they shut behind me. I glanced back at the two oak doors, and shook my head. I now set off, slipping my flats, which I'd had in my bag, on and running. Unbeknown to me, after sitting down and apologising profusely to Cal, Jason had shoved his hands into his trouser pockets. He had then discovered that he in fact, hadn't forgotten the rings, he'd just put them in the wrong pocket. He pulled them out slowly and announced then he'd found them, but by then it was too late as I was half way back. They wondered whether to continue without me and although they felt a bit bad, decided they'd better.

Meanwhile, I wasn't far from the Craiglaren, when I suddenly I felt like I'd been struck right between the eyes.

_Images appeared. The church, with its great oak double doors. The people all sat around. The bride walking down the isle, now with Chloe's face. Everyone smiling, happy, but they were all in slow mo. Cal waiting expectantly. Then screaming started and something snapped, swinging. More screaming people fleeing the church, piling out the doors. Cal grabbing Chloe, then suddenly there was flames between them. Screaming, doors slamming, rasping metal and yelling. Then hundreds of images of faces, flashing, things bearing down upon them. BOOM, CRASH, FLASH and ROAR! High pitched screams, pain and suddenly jaws in my face._

I staggered, gasping. My brain was trying to comprehend what I'd just seen, and right there and then, I knew I wasn't where I wanted to be. Something big was about to go down, and I was in the wrong place. I'd seen those doors and the church they belonged to, it was the one I'd just come from. Fear and horror, pulsed through me, I swung round and began to run, but I knew it wouldn't be quick enough. I had no choice, I launched myself forward, landing on all four paws, and pelted back the way I'd come…

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Ok, so what did we think? Was it worth waiting for? Did we find it exciting? Most importantly did you all like it? What will happen...well you'll just have to wait and see. You can always voice your opinion and make my day by reviewing. *Puppy Dog Eyes*


	8. Chapter 8 Breaking Point

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hey, thanks to HonoraryDAMember, ? though the style of review makes me think it's possibly January Raines (not sure though), Neon Jack and Zombies of a Down for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember** I'm happy you like it and be prepared for action in this chapter. I thought Abby and Jimmy's problems needed to be explained and whether they get back together you'll just have to wait and see. We shall see about Sully... **To ?** well as I said, I'm not sure who you were as you left no name, i made a guess and I apologize if I'm wrong. I'm happy you like the story, as for cliffhangers well there may be more to come :P. **To Neon Jack** I'm glad you like it, you're in for a bit of action this chapter, enjoy! **To Zombies of a Down**, it's nice to have a new reviewer and I'm happy you liked the first chapter.

Hi, now I'm sorry again for how long this took me, so much work for forth yr with dissertation etc. I'm doing my best to get the story done, but it will be eventually finished. This chp is quite long and I hope you all enjoy it. Some of it was written to Winter: Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet, so you can listen to it while you read if you want to get an idea for the atmosphere.

Now I warn you that there are some words of bad language in it and scenes of violence, so you are warned. Without further ado, read on dear readers, hopefully enjoy and don't forget to review!

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**_Chapter eight-Breaking Point_**

Mud flew up around me, as a thundered through the trees and shrubs. My senses running wild, fear that I wouldn't reach them all in time. I knew that even though the original killers were dead, there was always the chance another one would attempt something, that or a Rogue. I didn't care which this was, I was not going to lose anyone. My anger fuelled my speed and I quickened, dodging trees, roots and other obstacles at speed. Finally, I hit the path upon which the mini buses had taken us and I saw the dark stone church rise up before me. As I slid to a hault in front of the great doors, I spun and flung myself at them, only to bounce back. I snarled and flew again at the doors and this time, they opened and I transformed at they gave way. It must have looked like the scene from the film of The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers, where Aragorn enters the Keep of the Hornburg seeking Theoden King, after they all assumed he'd died in the warg attack, to tell him an army of 10,000 Uruk-hai were coming. The vicar had just been saying "I now pronounce you man and wife'", as the doors slammed into the walls on either side and I staggered in looking worse for wear. I didn't care what I looked like, I had to fulfil my duty to my Saves. They turned to me, all of them and gave me odd looks.

"Um, yeah, we kinda continued without you," said Cal, a little awkwardly.

"Doesn't matter," I gasped, still a little out of breath.

"And if you had anything against this marriage, that bit passed a while ago," added Mal, with a cheeky grin.

"Nope," I answered, a great sadness entering my heart. "I need you all out now,"

"What?" said Danny, giving me an odd look.

"No questioning, out of here, now!" I said, striding rapidly down the isle. "Move!"

"Now, just wait a minute," snapped a voice, which made me sigh. "What gives you the right to order these people around? This is my Sister's wedding and you're not going to ruin it!"

"Get out now!" I roared, no longer caring.

I ran, hearing something creak. I glanced around trying not to trip, as a searched desperately for what was coming. People were moving a little, some had stood up, others were looking between each other. Chloe's eyes met mine as I heard the creak again. I now looked up.

"Oh, bugger…" I started, before charging at Chloe and Cal.

I reached them as I heard it snap and with a quick sorry, flung them apart, pushing them to the ground. The vicar stared at me, but as the terrible thing began to descend in slow mo to gasps and screams, I grabbed the vicar and slammed him in Cal's direction. I turned and as I did, I felt white hot fire surge through my veins. My bones shifted and my clothes changed, as the spear head of the huge swinging battering ram/log struck me head long in the chest, slamming me backwards through the alter and into the wall behind it. It did it with such force, that it pinned me there and pain was sending shockwaves through my body. With a shaking gasp the darkness took me and I reappeared coughing and spluttering on the alter steps. The vicar's eyes were wide with horror; as he lay were I'd tossed him staring at his dead doppelganger.

"Move!" I spluttered, jogging terror stricken people into action.

My saves and the others began to flee the church. Yet I knew it wasn't over. I staggered to my feet, pain making it difficult, and shuffled to the nearest stone pillar. I took a breath. I had only enough reaper energy to do this once, after that, the most I could do was one translocation jump at best. I accessed it, hearing the click in my mind, and let the hot white energy flow through my veins, giving my eyes and skin a light glow. Then I accessed the Multi Shift technique and concentrated. My cells began to rapidly multiply and the feeling of being a balloon came again, until the pressure became too great and the expansion rapidly decreased. We glanced at each other, the two of us knowing what must be done. One me approached Chloe and the other Cal. We forced them, and the still shell shocked vicar, down the isle and as they neared the doors we stepped back. Just us in the church, we transformed, wedding dress and all, as the flames from the candles that had fallen, now reached materials that would burn.

"Come on my love, there is nothing we can do for him," said Cal me, trying to drag Chloe me down the isle.

"How…how can this happen again," sobbed Chloe me, still unable to move. "Why us?"

"Chloe, come on," Cal me yelled, as the flames now latched onto the great wooden death bringer.

I was struggling as I heard one of the supports that it was attached to snap and break, as fire burned through it. The front half splintered in such a way, it left the point sticking in the wall. The rest of it swung, bringing Chloe me to my senses and instinctively protecting Cal by shoving him out the way. Yet my instinct now separated us, as the burning log burned like a fiery wall between us.

"Chole!" Cal me yelled.

"Cal!" Chloe me screamed back.

But over everything, I now heard another sound. Behind Chloe me I heard a door open. Someone was entering and I knew in my heart they weren't good. Cal me saw them first, emerging slowly out of the smoke. Someone dressed in dark clothing with their face hidden, but it was the recognisable blade that Cal's eyes focussed on. He and I both knew that blade well. There was no mistaking it. The boarding knife was raised slowly above and behind Chloe me.

"Chloe, no! Behind you!" Cal me yelled, but there was nothing I could do.

The way the log had fallen, prevented me from jumping it to save Chloe me. It didn't stop me trying, but the flames where too big. All I could do was watch. Chloe me turned slowly in horror, as the boarding knife descended straight though where my neck met my chest, hitting my spinal cord and reappearing out my back. Cal was yelling and screaming. I was gasping, blood filling my mouth, and pain causing my muscles to spasm. The thing was I couldn't feel the lower half of me and that meant I crumpled to the ground, disappearing behind the flames and smoke. I made a strange gurgle as the killer removed the blade and then stood over me while the darkness took me.

"You bastard!" Cal/I spat, now whole in mind and body again. "I'll kill you!"

The person cocked their head a little, sending chills down my spine. Then they took a step towards me. I began to back towards the smoky light that was the church doors as, with fire in front and on either side, it was the only way I could go. They paused and glanced up at the yet to snap support of the mostly burned log, and I swear I heard a slight chuckle. I was still backing, prepared to run, when I heard a strange whistling sound followed by a light snap. I looked up in horror, my limbs frozen to the spot, as the remaining support broke, bringing down some of the roof with it. The huge burning mass descended upon me and darkness took me.

I gasped back, appearing at the edge of the trees. My body ached and my chest was making my breathing ragged. I could see the mass of people gathered outside the church, Chloe, Cal and the vicar among them. I took a few staggering steps towards them, only to collapse upon the grass. I was on the ground, but I could still see that the roof bits that had come down had blocked the entrance, preventing them from seeing inside. I started to drag myself towards them, not sure if they were out of danger for the moment. It was Madison who spotted my vain attempt to reach them.

"Look, it's Rebecca," she said, pulling at her mother's dress.

"What?" asked Shea, a slight shaking in her voice.

Richard glanced round and he too saw me.

"Oh God," he said, causing others to turn.

"Rebecca," said Jimmy, now starting towards me.

Cal, Shane, Chloe, Trish and Richard close behind him. The others nervously started to move slowly too, Sully amongst them.

"What are you doing?" came the hysterical voice of Andrew. "Don't go near her, she's a jinx,"

They slowed in their stride and for a second, I thought that maybe they agreed. Yet the low deep growl, somewhere behind me quashed that thought instantly.

"Just stay still, Rebecca," said Shane, his eyes looking beyond me.

I couldn't however, not turn my aching neck and head to look at the new threat. Standing there, in all it's glory, was a huge black dog, though it looked very wolf like. In fact, I would have gone as far to say it was a wolf. It had burning dark golden eyes, that were alive with a fury, which were fixed on me. Its lips curled back revealing it's pearl white, dagger-like teeth. If that wasn't enough to tell you what it had in mind, then the ruff on its back raised, so to give it an even larger appearance, certainly did. It was gonna kill me and no one was going to stop it.

"Stop moving, Sully," ordered Trish, turning my attentions back to my saves.

Sully was attempting to reach me by edging along the tree line, but his latest move, making him the closest to me, had got a snarl from the beast.

"It's not having her," he replied, through gritted teeth as he tried again.

The louder growl stopped him. I shifted so I was now horizontal and could stare my attacker down. The move almost seemed to make the animal smile, if you could call it that. It flexed it's front leg muscles, by shifting from one to the other and back. It lowered its body in readiness to spring. Then in a bounding leap, it charged.

Sully made a desperate attempt to get to me, but the wolf was faster. It neared me in a matter of seconds.

Wham!

It scrabbled to a halt, as it's path was blocked by a newcomer. From the trees had sprung another, like the first. Again this wolf was large and black, yet wasn't as muscular as the other. It's eyes too were of a different colour, a pretty turquoise green. This wolf prevented the first from attacking, it's own hackles raised and teeth bared. It growled and seemed to shake it's head. The first snarled and tried to get round, but the second would not allow it.

The first snarled and backed off. It met my eyes one last time, before bounding away into the trees. The second glanced down upon me and then at my saves, before turning and trotting away after it.

I sighed and felt a wave of relief come, as Sully and the others reached me. There had been a possibility, I could have died there and then and it had been a little too close for comfort. There was now a lot of commotion from the group, as they swarmed around me. So many people, that I doubt anyone would have noticed two people joining them, as they tried to decide what to do. Having finally decided, I allowed them to carry me back as I was barely able to move. They took me up to my room, upon reaching the hotel, and lay me on my bed. Jimmy stayed with me, as did Shane. Sully stood in the door way with Trish, Abby and Nikki. His attempts to save me had made me more happy then Sully would ever know.

"You need to sleep for a bit, get your strength back," said Jimmy, softly stroking my hair. "It always helped before,"

"I need the painkiller," I said, to him quietly, my voice hoarse.

"Where is it?" he asked, now getting up.

"Just bring me my bag," I whispered, softly.

"The one you had in church?" he questioned, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, the one I always have," I said, shifting to try and lessen the pain.

He fetched it and handed it to me. I took out the bottle and swigged it, grimacing as usual.

"I need you to do something else for me," I said, now trying to find the breath to speak. "I need you to look after Chloe, Cal and the vicar. Make sure they're all ok,"

"We will, but I'm not gonna leave you alone just now," said Jimmy, kindly.

"But, I'm not important, they are," I tried, wincing a little.

"I'll go and check on them," said Sully, speaking for the first time since we had returned to the hotel.

My eyes met his, something in them that I hadn't seen in a while.

"Thanks," I replied, softly.

With a nod he left.

"I'll go with him," added Trish, before following after him.

I lay there, wishing the pain killer would work faster.

"You guys should go and take it easy, Shane and I will stay with Rebecca," said Jimmy, now to Abby and Nikki.

"You sure?" asked Nikki, glancing at me again.

"Yeah, go," he said, with a smile.

"Vamoose," I added, softly.

Nikki rolled her eyes, then, slinging her arm round Abby, the two disappeared off shutting the door as they went.

"You need to go rest too," I said, my eyes meeting Jimmy's. "Both of you are likely in shock,"

"Ah, we'll be fine," said Shane, casually. "Experienced in this sorta thing, you know,"

"Yeah, nothing fazes us any more," added Jimmy, with a grin.

"This ain't a joking matter," I said, trying to sit up.

"Just stay down," ordered Jimmy, now.

"But…" I started.

"Sleep, Rebecca," he whispered, stroking my cheek. "And I'll lie with you if you do. Is that a fair deal?"

My eyes flicked to Shane.

"And Shane will relax in his seat, won't you, Shane?" added Jimmy, calmly.

"Yep," nodded Shane.

Jimmy got up now and came and lay beside me. He propped himself up on his elbow, so he could check I was holding up my end. I sighed.

"Fine, deal," I muttered.

"Good," he said, giving my shoulder a squeeze.

I shut my eyes and relaxed as finally, the pain killer started to work. I was pretty tired in fact and so, now allowed sleep to take me.

When I woke, it was a couple of hours later. I turned over slowly and found that Jimmy too had fallen asleep. However, Shane was no longer in the room. Edging quietly off the bed so as not to disturb Jimmy, I crept to the door and headed off to find Shane and the others. When I reached reception, I was told by Mrs McClide that people were everywhere. Some in their rooms, some had gone for a walk, some were through in the sun lounge and the rest were in the bar. I thanked her and headed for the bar, guessing that's where Shane would most likely be. As I neared it, my sharp hearing began to pick up voices and the conversation they were having.

"I can't believe it's happening again," said Abby, nervously twisting a stand of hair between her fingers.

"Neither can I," agreed Nikki, picking up her glass.

"Did you see that thing? I mean, what was it?" asked Danny, glancing around the others.

"No head spade, that's for sure," mumbled Sully, swigging his drink.

"Head spade?" questioned Andrew, giving Sully a look.

"Was the weapon that killed Mr Wellington in the church last time," said Sully, without so much as a glance at Andrew.

"I see, but that doesn't tell me what it is," he said, with a shake of his head.

"It's a whaling weapon, used to decapitate whales," replied Shane, while swirling the contents of his glass.

"It was a spiked swinging battering ram thing," said JD, out of the blue.

He was stood by the window with Kelly staring out onto the grounds.

"What?" said Shane, not following.

"Danny asked what the thing in the church was and that's the best description of it," continued JD.

"Yeah, I guess," said Danny, now.

"It was ridiculously over the top, which makes my explanation credible," said Andrew, a smile appearing on his face.

I listened closer, something in me worried about what he was thinking.

"What are you on about?" said Shane, giving him a look.

"Don't you guys see, or are you so blinded by your sudden appreciation of Rebecca," he continued, looking round them.

They were now all looking at him, slightly confused. He laughed.

"Wow, she's good," he said, shaking his head. "She was the one who set it all up, to make her point,"

"Now that's bollucks if I ever heard it!" snapped Nikki, glaring at Andrew. "Rebecca would never do anything like that,"

"Oh come on, the ring bit was staged for starters," continued Andrew, with a sneer.

"No, Jason definitely forgot where he put the rings, I know him," said Cal, with a sigh. "It's him all over,"

"Yeah, come on, she so paid him to do it," argued Andrew, seemingly determined to blacken my name.

"On what grounds?" asked Sully, as he stood up.

"She needed it to look like she wasn't involved, like someone was trying to get her out the way so she couldn't save us," explained Andrew seriously. "Plus, it made her entrance all the more dramatic,"

"Bullshit!" snarled Shane, anger in his voice. "You just don't like her, you'd make anything up to make her look bad,"

I smiled at that, I could see the scene through the crack between the closed doors.

"Rebecca wouldn't have just done jumps for the sake of it," said Abby, now. "Jimmy told me about how they affected her,"

"Yeah, she would have done to get your love and trust back," said Andrew, with a look of superiority. "It was hurting her how you all hated her, she had to do something to get you back on her side,"

"Even though it was true that our behaviour was hurting her, this is not the way she would have chosen," argued JD, turning to Andrew. "She would know this would only push us back further,"

"She's not that sort of person," added Kelly, brushing a stand of hair from her face.

Sully nodded as he refilled his glass.

"She was pushed into it," said Andrew, with a wave of his hand.

"But she couldn't have done it," replied Danny, with a shake of his head. "You all saw that thing, it was huge. No way one person could have done it alone,"

"So she got help, big deal," snapped Andrew, putting down his glass. "I mean…Sully, you said so yourself it was like Wellington's death. I'm guessing it was significant when it happened back then,"

"That was when we realised something was wrong," said Abby, slowly, her voice unsure.

"The moment we knew we had to leave," said Danny, glancing up from his glass.

"The time we found out he wasn't the only one dead or missing," added Cal.

"So there you go, Rebecca knew this and so she knew you'd be back on her side if something happened," continued Andrew, casually. "Plus, whoever did rig it knew the wedding time had changed, so they had to be in the party,"

That silenced everyone, I knew their thoughts were all lingering back to Henry's betrayal.

"Not necessarily, the wedding rehearsal was meant to be on that day," said Cal, now attempting to ease the tension.

"But, not at that time," argued Andrew.

"Could have been attached to something, like…well last time it was the lights," said Abby, sadly.

"Stop trying to reason it," said Andrew, anger in his voice. "Who else could it have been?"

They were struggling and I could feel a feeling growing in the pit of my stomach.

"Well what about the dogs, or wolves…whatever they were outside the church?" queried Sully, giving Andrew a look. "That one was gonna kill Rebecca,"

The others nodded.

"Trained, she had to keep up the act," tried Andrew, though it wasn't very convincing.

"There was something odd about those things," said Kelly, they turned to her. "Something wasn't right, it was as if they weren't what they seemed at all,"

I had to agree with Kelly, if I had known better I would have said they were Rogues, but I'd done a sweep and there had been nothing. They surely couldn't be them, but their presence had made me uneasy.

"So you're agreeing with Andrew?" asked Shane, looking Kelly in the eyes.

"No, not at all, I'm saying that something didn't feel right," she said, with a shrug.

"So, you're all gonna sit there and say that Rebecca had nothing to do with this?" spat Andrew, discust lacing his words.

"Well, I suppose it could be possible…" started Shane.

My heart constricted, this was the one thing I had never thought would happen. My blood ran cold and I felt sick. I began to back away from the door, the one person I had thought had truly never stopped believing in me had just cut me down. If there was anything else said, it was drowned out by my heart pounding in my ears. I felt lightheaded and turning on my heel, I ran for the stairs. Hot fresh tears came to my eyes, as I charged up the stairs. Blinded by the sense of loss, I did not see the person I crashed into on the way up.

"Rebecca?" came a sleepy unmistakeable voice.

Jimmy looked at me with concern, but I pushed him away. I continued, leaving him stood there seemingly unsure what to say. I charged into my room and began to pack.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Jimmy headed in the direction I'd come from determined to find out what had happened. He pushed open the doors to find Shane and Andrew being restrained from each other.

"What the hell is going on?" he snapped, glaring between the two.

"This arse is suggesting Rebecca had something to do with what happened in the church," snarled Shane, with a glare in Andrew's direction. "I was putting him in his place,"

"Yeah, you missed Shane's retort to Andrew's suggestion," giggled Kelly, smiling at Shane.

"Ok, I'm confused," said Jimmy, the other's glanced at him.

Upstairs, I was shoving clothes into the bag. I pulled out the canvas bag from under the bed and the rucksack from the chair. I wasn't gonna stay where I wasn't wanted. Ensuring I had everything, I headed out the room and down the stairs. I passed Mrs McClide, who gave me a concerned look, as I crossed the entrance hall to the door.

Back in the bar, the others had now explained the conversation to Jimmy.

"I then said, I suppose it could be possible…when pigs fly and Andrew manages to get his head out of his arse! And then he punched me and I punched him back," finished Shane, with a grin.

"I'm guessing Rebecca didn't hear your retort either," said Jimmy, with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" asked Sully, giving Jimmy a confused look.

"She passed me on the stairs, she was upset," explained Jimmy, slowly.

They all heard the main door slam, but they ignored it.

"So, you think all she heard was me saying Andrew's bullshit theories were possible?" said Shane, the realisation spreading over his features.

"Yeah, and you being the main person who has been there for her since she got here," replied Jimmy, sadly.

It was when they heard the mustang's engine start, that it dawned on them.

"Oh, Shit!" snapped Shane, making for the door.

With Jimmy leading, they all ran for the door, Andrew following slowly. They reached the main door as the mustang swerved out the court yard, spraying gravel, and headed off down the hill.

I saw them in my rear view mirror, but it wasn't gonna change anything. I sighed and concentrated on the road. It was in fact, lucky I did, for I had only gone round two corners when I had to slam on the breaks, as a woman ran into the road. The mustang stopped just before her and she herself came to a halt, slamming her hands on the bonnet of the car.

"Please help me!" she cried, desperation on her face.

I knew her; it was Christina, Chloe's friend, one of the two girls who'd been eyeing up Sully. I stared. She shimmed her way round to the right side if the car and scrabbled at the handle.

"Please, they're gonna kill me!" she begged, tears flowing down her cheeks. "They killed Lucy and that barman!"

I didn't know what to say and so, unlocked the door for her to get in. As the door slammed behind her, I put the car into reverse. I paused though, for as I turned to reverse, I saw something move in the trees. A figure was watching and there was something menacing about them just standing there. In fact, it brought back memories, but Christina's desperate cries brought me back to my senses and I reversed the car. At the safest point I did a one eighty spin and roared back up to the hotel. The others were in the entrance hall and came out as I parked directly in front of the door.

"Rebecca?" queried Jimmy, looking at me. "We thought you'd gone for good,"

They paused as they saw Christina emerge pale and shaken. I turned to her.

"What were you doing out there alone?" I demanded, my voice deadly serious.

"I…I needed some air," she mumbled, her voice shaky.

"And you just thought, after what happened, you'd go for a stroll!" I said, my tone incredulous.

"I didn't think, I…" she tried, sadly.

"No, you didn't think, did you," I said, with a sigh.

"What's going on?" asked Sully, seeing something was wrong.

I ignored him.

"I need you to tell me what happened," I said, taking a hold of Christina by the shoulders.

"I…I was walking and I heard this sound," she started, slowly. "A buzzing noise or something and I was curious so, I followed it,"

She took a shaky breath.

"But, as I neared it I could hear voices too and they didn't sound happy," she continued, everyone listened in silence. "I slowed and as I rounded the corner, I found the source of the buzzing sound…Lucy…"

"Lucy Daramour?" interjected Danny, quickly.

"No Lucy Turner, and…that barman," she stammered, her hands were shaking.

"Chloe's friend…who'd disappeared off," murmured Cal, I gave him a look.

"Making buzzing sounds?" asked Shane, with an incredulous look.

"No, they…they were…" she tried, but her sobs now got the better of her.

"They're dead," I finished, for her.

Those standing in the door way froze, Christina nodded slowly.

"The buzzing was…" JD started.

"The hundreds of flies," I concluded, with a glance at the others.

"It's really happening again, isn't it?" said Abby, quietly.

I nodded, noticing for the first time Andrew looked unsure of himself.

"What do we do?" asked Cal, they were all looking to me.

I glanced around and then back at them.

"First let's get everyone inside," I said, directing Christina to the door.

I paused and opened the boot of the car as they all headed in. I stared for a few moments at the canvas bag, before grabbing it and my rucksack and heading in. I headed for the stairs, but was stopped by Shane.

"Move, Shane," I ordered, but he didn't. "Look…"

"Listen to me first," he said, taking hold of my shoulders and forcing me to look at him. "I never agreed with Andrew,"

I looked at him, unsure of him.

"I need you to know I never lost faith in you," he continued, slowly.

"But you said…" I started.

"I said, that it was possible…only when pigs fly and Andrew takes his head out of his arse!" he interjected, looking me in the eyes.

I couldn't stop the slight smile that graced my lips.

"So are we good?" he asked, his own worry showing through.

"Yes, Shane," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And thank you, for being honest,"

He smiled and then let me pass. I headed up into my room and placed the things down on my bed. I then opened the rucksack and got changed into some more suitable clothing. After which, I took out a belt and attached to my waist. I then took out a small knife which I attached to my ankle and my hunting knife which I attached to my belt. Finally, I removed my sliver colt automatic and placed it down the back of my jeans. Then hauling the canvas back over my shoulder, I headed out the door. Yet I paused, as an image flashed through my mind, and turned back. I now took out the spare colt automatic and put it in the same place as the other. I finally headed back downstairs with the rucksack in my hand. Having chucked it back into the boot, I proceeded back into the entrance hall with the canvas bag.

"What you got in there?" asked Madison, who had appeared along with the rest of her family, as everyone gathered in the entrance hall.

"Stuff," I replied, placing the bag down and beginning to unzip it.

She watched with fascination as finally the contents of the bag were revealed. A multitude of weapons, including rifles, shotguns and knives. I pulled out a 12 gauge shotgun and proceeded to load it. Then turning, handed it to the nearest person who I knew could use it. That happened to be Nikki. She stared at me and the others watched in silence. The one by one, I gave out guns to those I knew could handle them.

"Come prepared, huh?" commented Shane, as he took a rifle off me.

"Always," I sighed.

I gave Thomas, Richard, Uncle Marty, and Ben all rifles. They nodded to me, accepting them without question. Others stepped forward to take them, including Sully, Jimmy, Cal, Danny and Abby. Most people looked nervously at the weapons and of course, I didn't give any of those particular people guns. I looked round those who were left.

"Can anyone else here handle a gun?" I queried, looking between them. "Or is willing to be taught to handle one?"

They looked at me, silently. It was at that point Jason Collins walked in with a few of the stragglers.

"I can handle a weapon," he replied, calmly. "But what's this for?"

"Protection," I said, simply.

"Why? Because of what happened in the church?" he questioned, his expression suggesting everything hadn't truly sunk in yet.

"That and what else has occurred," I answered, seriously.

"I see," he said, walking towards me.

He then glanced at Nikki and Abby holding their guns.

"Women who can handle a gun, I'm impressed," he remarked, with a grin.

"Hmm," I paused then and glanced around. "Were you the last people in the sun room?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he replied, taking a gun off me.

My eyes met Thomas's, but he wasn't the only one, Cal and Malcolm were looking round too.

"Where's Lucy?" I called out, searching the room.

"She's dead," mumbled Christina, sullenly.

"No, I mean Daramour, Lucy Daramour," I replied, trying to remain calm.

"Trish too," said Katherine, moving closer to Mr Wellington.

"Chloe! Where's Chloe?" said Cal, his tone bringing back memories of being in the church on Harper's.

"What about Beth?" said Malcolm, now. "She's not here either,"

They were starting to call their names and the noise level increased from the murmuring of voices to a cacophony of noise.

"Ok! Quiet!" I yelled, above the voices.

They ceased and everyone turned to me.

"Before we start panicking, have we checked their rooms?" I asked, searching the rapt faces.

They then turned and as a moving mass headed for the stairs. It was as they were doing that, that a familiar short blonde appeared on the stairs. Strolling down with the small dog under one arm, her cell phone, which she was just pocketing, in her right hand, completely oblivious to the situation.

"Hey guys," called Lucy, to the mass of people who were about to ascend the stairs.

"Oh, thank god," said Shea, with a sigh. "Lucy there you are, please say Trish, Beth and Chloe are up there with you,"

Lucy paused, her smile faltered as she looked into the expectant and hopeful faces.

"Um, no," she said, slowly.

The murmurs broke back out and I could sence the worry and dismay.

"Do you know where they are?" I called, out over the din.

Everyone quietened.

"Trish said they were going to walk off their nerves by going down to the loch side," she said, carefully.

"Are you sure?" I asked, seriously, my eyes meeting hers.

"Yes, that's what she said," said Lucy, with a nod. "Is something wrong?"

I left it to someone else to explain it to her. I sighed, I had to go and find them. They were out there all alone with that person I'd seen in the trees. I could have sworn that it had been him. I shook it off, it was impossible, it couldn't be. Yet something about the church attempt topped with what I thought I'd seen, did make, in an odd way, sense to me. A voice stirred me from my thoughts.

"What are we gonna do Rebecca?" asked Charlie, calmly.

I met his eyes, there was something so calming about his presence.

"You're gonna stay here," I replied, quietly.

"Shouldn't we get outta here?" asked Danny, looking at me.

"There is no way to get us all down there at once, unless we walk," I said, looking at him.

"And?" replied Danny. "What's wrong with that?"

The others nodded.

"We're safer in a big group," added Katherine.

"Not necessarily," I said, with a sigh. "But, it's more that the girls are all alone and there's a risk we'd never reach them in time,"

"What are you trying to say?" asked Brent, hugging Robin closer.

"That we don't know who or what's out there and we need to be smart," I explained, carefully. "So I'm gonna go and get them and I advise you to stay here for now, where you can defend yourselves,"

"An' what if something happens to you?" asked Shane, his tone angry, but his eyes showing something else. "You're just as important as us,"

"Then go with the plan to go in a big group," I said, with a shrug. "Run and don't look back,"

"What about after you come back with them?" asked Kelly, quietly. "What happens then?"

"We cross that bridge when we come to it," I answered, with a nod to her. "Now, before I go, I need you to listen,"

They all looked at me.

"Don't touch anything, don't do anything stupid," I began, looking at each and everyone of them. "Don't even go make yourself a sandwich, don't open things, turn stuff on, etc. Got it?"

They nodded, some replying got it.

"Just stay in the sun room, and set up a watch among yourselves. It'll be like a camping experience, but indoors," I continued, subconsciously cracking my knuckles. "An' while I'm gone, under no circumstances go outside. Lock everything, and I mean everything!"

They nodded again and I motioned them to go. A few people stayed.

"Let me come with you," said Shane, coming up to me.

"Or better yet, let us both come with you," said Jimmy, joining Shane.

"I can't," I said, looking at them both.

"I could…" started Sully.

"No," I replied, shushing him.

Danny, Thomas, Shea, Mal, Lucy and Cal all came over.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Thomas, looking at me. "She's my daughter, I should be going,"

"It's my responsibility," I said, kindly. "Plus, we need you on sniper duty, Thomas,"

He smiled slightly.

"Now Lucy, are you one hundred percent sure they said loch side?" I said, checking again on my destination.

"Yes," she replied, with a nod.

I sighed, that was that then. I glanced round the little group, before turning to leave. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to find Shane. He pulled me into a hug.

"You be careful, ok?" he whispered, softly.

"As always," I replied.

I found he wasn't the only one wanting a hug, as I broke with Shane to find the others waiting. Thomas refrained from hugging me and Sully stood aside. I looked at him and then gave him an encouraging smile.

"You know you want to," I said, softly.

A hint of a smile graced his lips. He then slowly approached me.

"Take care," he said, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"You too," I replied, and then he gave me a light squeeze.

I turned to leave and then paused a funny feeling in me. I turned back to him.

"Sully?" I said, slowly.

"Yeah?" he replied, looking at me.

"I want you to have this," I said, approaching him while removing something from behind me.

I now gave him my other colt automatic.

"Um, wow…I can't take this," he said, trying to give it back.

"It's my spare, it's loaded," I said, shaking my head. "Only use it if you have to,"

He looked at the gun slowly, running his fingers over it before looking at me.

"Ok," he replied, putting it down the back of his jeans and ensuring it was out of sight.

"Oh and look after the others," I added, looking him in the eyes.

"I will," he said, slowly.

I smiled before taking a breath and heading for the door.

"Miss Jacobs?" a voice called out, stopping me.

I really didn't have time for this. I turned and found the owner was none other then Mrs McClide.

"Yes," I said, curious.

"This arrived for you," she said, holding up an envelope.

I looked at it, a feeling rising inside me. I shook it off and walked over to take the letter. I opened it and read it. Then reread it several times to ensure I memorised the contents.

"Thanks," I said, with a smile, before walking over to Shane.

I handed him the note.

"Could you look after this for me, give it to Ryan if you see him," I asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Um, I guess," he said, seeming unsure.

"Thanks," I said, hoping I'd given it to the right person.

I then headed for the door and left the hotel. I got in the car and starting it, sped off out of courtyard and onto the road. I drove as fast as I dared, I would stop for nothing until I reached them. Drifting the corners, I preyed I would get there in time. I hit the small town, most likely breaking the speed limit through it, but at that point, I didn't care. I passed the last house and as I did, I happened to see something move out of the corner of my eye. I glanced in my rear view mirror, but it was only a brown ford truck 4x4 that had pulled out of a drive way, or side road I guessed. I continued down, the corners pretty deadly, but I had to reach the girls. I careered over a bump, getting a little air, as the docks finally came in sight. I screeched to a halt, swinging the car around so if faced back the way I'd come, and jumped out.

"Chloe! Trish! Beth! Where are you?" I called, desperately.

I looked around, when they said loch I'd simply assumed near the harbour, but in fact it could have been any bit of loch side.

"Trish!" I yelled, glancing around the scene.

The grey sky loomed above me, and fear started to build in my heart.

"Chloe! Beth! Please, where are you?" I yelled, again, spinning around.

I began to head back to the car.

"Rebecca?" came a voice, and I spun to my left.

I now spotted to my relief three figures coming up from the shore into view. It was Trish who had called.

"Guys, come on!" I called, encouraging them to hurry up.

They started jogging towards me.

"Hey," said Chloe, as they neared. "What's up?"

"I'll explain back at the hotel, but we need to go now," I replied, ushering them to the car.

Yet as we turned and made our way to the mustang, I now saw something odd. The road was narrow and, in most places, single tracked with passing spots. The bit that led from the harbour, was one of these single tracked jobbies. The odd thing was though, that it was now blocked by the same brown ford truck from before, parked just after where the line of trees started. Surely a local would have known that they needed to come forward, so I could get passed. I stared at it, the fact it was just sat there now made it actually appear ominous and threatening.

"Rebecca?" called Beth, looking at me. "What's going on?"

I realised she was referring to the truck. I stared from them, to the truck and back. I was remembering the person stood in the trees.

"Get in," I ordered, now.

"But…" started Chloe.

"Now!" I snapped.

Then watching as Beth got in the back and Chloe began to follow, an idea came to me.

"Wait!" I said, and Chloe paused.

"Chloe, get in the front passenger seat," I directed, and she looked at me.

"What about Trish?" she asked, and Trish looked at me.

I walked to her and as I just started to hand her the keys, a shot rang out. It missed us by inches.

"Go! Go! Get in!" I yelled, pushing Trish in front of me.

Another shot pinged past as I shoved her into the driving seat.

"What are you doing?" she cried, looking at me, her face pale.

"Telling you what to do," I said, dodging another shot.

"What?" said Chloe, Beth was shaking in the back.

"Just listen, You have to do exactly what I say," I explained, ducking down behind the slightly open door. "You drive Trish, you drive right at that bastard and you don't stop!"

"That's insane, we'll crash," said Beth, her voice full of fear.

"You've gotta trust me," I said, desperate for them to believe in me.

"I trust you," said Trish, taking a breath.

Chloe nodded and after squeezing Beth's hand, she nodded too.

"Give me a count down from twenty and then you drive," I said, looking Trish in the eyes.

She nodded, her hands tightening their grip on the steering wheel.

"Oh and if there's a scratch on that car when we get back to the hotel, you'll be paying for it!" I said, though my smile reassured them I was making light of the situation.

I readied myself to run, by moving around to the back of the car.

"Start counting!" I yelled, as taking a breath I shot from the cover of the car running off to the left if you were looking at the loch.

Shots bounced off the ground near me, but I kept running diving into the bushes. Yet, there was no hiding for me and I scrabbled to my feet and kept running.

Back in the car, Trish prepared herself, revving the car a little. They were all sat counting slowly, but they had already reached eleven. Trish tried to stay calm, but this was crazy, the mustang would never survive against the 4x4. Yet she knew better then to lose faith, Rebecca had to know what she was doing. Or at least, she hoped she did. Plus, this did seem the only way, as the person in the truck was trigger happy and seemed to have decided any who tried on foot, would be shot. She took a breath and looked at her two friend's faces. They had all reached twenty, it was now or never.

"I really hope you know what your doing, Rebecca," she muttered, under her breath, as she floored the gas pedal.

The mustang shot forward with a roar and began to pick up speed, as Trish changed up the gears. The brown ford had begun to move too. A real life and death version of chicken had begun and Trish knew she couldn't back down. The engines were roaring, the cars nearing each other at a hell of a speed. Beth and Chloe were gripping each other's hand, which was all Beth could reach, as they'd all secured their safety belts tightly. It was getting so close now, that you could almost see the driver of the other vehicle. Trish shut her eyes ready for impact, but it never came.

SLAM!

They stared, as out of the bushes, to their right, flew a huge black 4x4 truck. It slammed into the brown one with such a force, it flipped it sideways. The brown truck was rolling, the black one following and bouncing a bit as it's suspension tried to steady it. Yet Trish had to drag her gaze back to the road now, as the way was clear. The mustang continued unharmed, as the brown truck finally came to a halt, on all four wheels. The black truck had stopped too, its front partially dented and one of the lights smashed. The brown truck had a huge dent in the driver's side, but the occupant wasn't dead. In fact, since the driver's side window had smashed, you could see there was more then one person in the truck, there were two. The black truck reversed and swung round, spraying mud as the wheels fought to grip their way back to the road.

I gripped the steering wheel, as I sped up to catch the mustang. It had been a crazy idea, but I'd pulled it off. I had remembered that Ryan had left the truck near the harbour when we'd said our goodbyes, and a plan had formed in my head. Yet, even as I drove round the bends, finally catching up with Trish and co in town, I knew it wasn't over. I'd seen the two in the truck, and I knew I hadn't stopped them completely.

Trish reached the hotel first, parking right in front of the doors. The other's came running out to greet them. Chloe lept out and practically jumped Cal, while Beth hugged Malcolm. Jimmy stared as Trish got out of the drivers seat, and he wasn't the only one.

"Where's Rebecca?" asked Cal, looking down at Chloe.

"She saved us," mumbled Chloe, shaking a little. "She rammed the truck,"

"Truck?" questioned Andrew, looking at her.

"The brown ford that tried to run us off the road," said Beth, staring at nothing.

"What?" said Sully, staring at the girls. "Who was driving?"

"We don't know," said Trish, making her way round.

"It doesn't answer the question of where is Rebecca?" growled Shane, looking at Trish.

"She, well, I think she wasn't far behind us," said Trish, a little unsure.

As if to answer the question properly, my beaten up black truck crested the hill and entered the court yard. I swung her, drifting her round and narrowly missing the fountain in the centre of the yard with the back end. The truck now faced the entrance to the hotel. I waited.

"That's Rebecca's truck," said Jimmy, starting to head over.

"Yeah, but what's she doing?" asked Shane, staring at the driver's door. "What's she waiting for?"

"I don't know," said Jimmy, quietly.

"The truck," whispered Trish, she looked at her dad.

"I thought you said she rammed it," said Thomas, watching his daughter.

"Doesn't mean it's not driveable," said Ruben Paris, who was stood in the doorway.

"How would you know?" asked Mal, glancing at the man.

"Cause, I've done car chase scenes," he explained, calmly. "Some cars are made of harder stuff then you give them credit for,"

Mal gave him a raised eyebrow.

"Plus it depends on how you hit them," added Ruben, with a smile.

Shane and Jimmy had stopped part way between the door and the hotel. Shane waited a few more moments, before continuing.

"Shane," called Jimmy, his tone warning.

"I'm sick of this shit!" yelled Shane, over his shoulder. "I'm gonna go get her and we're gonna leave this place!"

"Shane!" yelled Nikki, now. "Just wait a minute,"

Shane swung round and glared at her.

"Now look here…" he started, but he stopped as their expressions changed.

He knew why, for he too had heard it…the low rumble of an approaching vehicle. He turned in slow mo almost, as he watched the hood of a brown ford begin to crest the hill. The passenger of said vehicle, swinging a gun out the window and aiming it at him across the windshield, but he found he couldn't move, he'd frozen. Yet he was freed by the spray of gravel and the screech, as I floored the accelerator and drove at the brown truck. I swung the back end a little as the passenger fired, but I needn't have as Shane had already moved. My truck collided with the other, in a scraping crunch of metal. Some of my saves where screaming and yelling, yet I blocked the sound for I had to concentrate. We began to push and shove, both vehicles fighting the other. Smoke rose from the tires, as I shifted up putting more pressure on. The other driver matched it, but he was starting to slip a little as I had the advantage of higher ground. I was winning; the brown truck straining to hold the position. Then shots started to ring out, the glass around me shattered. The guy was trying to shoot me to stop me winning.

"We have to do something!" snapped Chloe, as she struggled in Cal's arms. "He's shooting!"

"What? What can we do?" said Lucy, looking around at people's faces.

Another shot rang out.

"That's Rebecca's gun!" said Nikki, unable to take her eyes from the trucks. "She's trying to even the odds,"

It was difficult to shoot and drive however. My truck was starting to slip a little, but I knew I couldn't give up. I glanced in my rear view mirror at my saves one last time, then I focused. I had one final option and I now took it. I pressed a button on the wheel releasing a nitrous injection. The truck roared, as the nitrous propelled it forward, my sharp hearing picking up the brown truck's power giving out. Down the hill we went, the incline causing us to pick up speed. I knew that the bend at the bottom of this hill was a hair pin bend and there was no way, at this speed, we'd get round it, let alone him going backwards.

"Rebecca!" yelled Shane, as he pelted after the two trucks.

He was followed by Jimmy, Cal, Chloe, Trish, JD, Sully and Danny, all of them sprinting desperately after us. Yet it was fruitless for them to do so, there was nothing they could do. The end of the road was nearing, I could see the two in the truck trying to stop, to do anything, but I wasn't going to let them out of this one. I increased the speed, watching the two's expressions. For a moment, the face that I thought would never show fear, twinged a little. It made this all the more satisfying, as when I'd seen them both in the truck, my worst nightmare returned, I hadn't wanted to believe it. Henry Dunn and John Wakefield alive, it was not possible and yet, here they were.

Shane's feet pounded on the tarmac, but JD passed him with Jimmy and Sully close behind. Yet even though they couldn't see it yet, they all knew what lay at the bottom of the slope.

We reached it, the brown truck's wheels, unable to stop or turn, continued off the road and into the air. My truck followed off and down, freefalling…

BOOM!

The explosion rocked the landscape and caused the others to come to a halt for a mere moment, before continuing to the edge off which both trucks had gone. Jimmy stared down at the smouldering wreckage that was now billowing smoke. He was shaking with emotion, but he wasn't the only one, Trish was crying as was Chloe and Danny. The others stood silently, unable to say anything. All their hope...had just gone up in smoke…

* * *

Ok, so was it worth all this time waiting for it? I hope so. Did anyone see any of it coming, yes, no? Anyone think they know the Rogues yet? Well you can always make my day and press that review button to voice your thoughts and feelings...*Puppy Dog Eyes*


	9. Chapter 9 Which Way To Run

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hey, I'm back! Thanks to HonoraryDAMember, Neon Jack and Madison for your lovely reviews. **To HonoraryDAMember** yes it was quite action filled but there is so much more to come. I'm happy you like Sully and Rebecca together and I will agree with you that Andrew is definitely an arse lol. As for the Rogues well we shall have to see. **To Neon Jack** I'm glad you enjoyed it and hopefully this time you'll be able to read it undisturbed. **To Madison** nice to see you back and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I'm sorry how long this chp has taken, but I will explain why below. Hope you like this one.

Ok, so I know this is terribly late...months late, but life has been so hectic I have been unable to write for pleasure. First, I had my dissertation and that involved creating a electronic digital A0 sized map as well as the writing. Then I had multiple projects, then just as I was going home for Christmas I hit black ice and crashed the car. So I had to sort that out which the insurers eventually wrote off but I don't think it was that bad. I then had to find a new car. Then we also had to find a new house as which we did and with all that stress we will be finally getting out of our old house next week, but be unable to move to the new one as that side is still sorting things. Plus this Saturday I'm off to Mull for a week on field work for my degree and then it's the Easter hols so it's all go, go, go. Hence since I will be staying with family for most of Easter I cannot promise the next chapter will be up soon, but it shouldn't be the same length of time this one has been. Bear with me and I'll do my best to get it up soon.

So after that, on to the chapter. Now here is the warning, there is several uses of bad language and some scenes of violence...but this is Harper's after all, no fluffy Easter bunnies here. So with out further ado, I hope you enjoy this long awaited, extra long chapter and don't forget to review!

* * *

_**Chapter nine-Which Way To Run**_

"She can't be gone, not again…" mumbled Jimmy; he hit the ground with his fist.

"We can't stay here," said Cal finally.

"We should return to the others," agreed Danny quietly.

They began to turn, Danny leading Sully and Trish trying to encourage Jimmy.

"She's not gone," said Shane quietly.

They turned to him, just stood there staring at the edge.

"She can't be, this is like before, remember. She's strong…" he continued, his words trailing off.

"Shane…the trucks exploded," said Trish, slowly. "I'm not sure if even Death Jumpers can survive such a thing,"

"Surely they could, otherwise how could they successfully save people," argued Shane, the anger in him beginning to surface.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," said Danny now, glancing at Sully who'd stopped walking.

"No, I think Shane's got a point," said Jimmy now, getting up off his knees. "Look at all the sorts of death she handled before, I don't think an explosion would kill her,"

"I think it's unlikely," said Cal quietly.

Shane gave him a cold look.

"But, I'm not saying it's impossible, still, we need to get back," continued Cal, glancing round the others.

"We can't leave her," said Sully sadly.

"You know she'd want us to head back to where it was safe," reasoned Trish, now placing a comforting hand on Shane's shoulder.

"Back to the hotel is the most likely place she'd return to too," added JD with a shrug.

So it was decided, with heavy hearts they made their way back up the slope as a chill wind whistled around them. As they reached the Craiglaren, they were greeted by everyone who hadn't torn after the two trucks. The others only had to read the faces of those who returned to know the result. They all returned inside and gathered in the sun lounge. Rebecca's saves all sat around, their faces pale. They had all been through this before and were now trying to decide what to do. However, the remaining newcomers, Andrew, Jason, Rachel, Simon, James, Amy, Christina, Ruben, Susan, Darren and Sarah, who hadn't been through this situation before, all stood near each other watching the others. It was no surprise then, that it was one of them who broke the growing silence.

"So what do we do now?" asked Rachel calmly, pushing a lock of her dark hair back behind her ear.

"What do we do now?" snapped Andrew incredulously. "We do exactly what we should have done before she went off to get the others!"

A few people glanced at him.

"We get the hell outta here!" he finished.

"How exactly, do you plan to do that?" scowled JD, giving him a look. "Fly?"

"There's a boat you idiot," replied Andrew, shaking his head. "We call them up and tell them to come get us!"

"Hmm…I see a flaw in your plan," said Richard quietly.

"Several flaws in fact," added Nikki, twisting a strand of her hair.

Andrew glared between the two of them.

"Firstly, how do you plan to get us all down there?" continued Nikki, her eyes now meeting his.

"We can walk, we have legs don't we," said Andrew, giving her a look.

"But, we don't know what's out there," pointed out Brent.

"Or who," added Christina shakily.

"What are they gonna do? There's like thirty or so of us and what, one or two of them?" he said in a tone that said he couldn't see a problem. "Two of which went over the cliff with…her, which I say personally is good riddance,"

"You shut your mouth, or I'll kick your teeth down your throat and shut it for you!" threatened Shane, turning from where he'd been standing back to the room gazing out the window.

"Shane!" warned Charlie, signalling him to back down, then added calmly. "I don't see how we have benefitted from losing Rebecca,"

"She probably attracted them…" Andrew tried, though a glare from his sister stopped him.

"Even though what most of my brother is saying is wrong, he is right about one thing, I don't think we should stay here," said Chloe, turning everyone's attention to her. "But, I don't see an easy way out of here,"

Andrew couldn't hold his tongue back then, but someone beat him to it.

"What about calling the boat?" asked Amy, looking around the room. "Like Andrew suggested?"

"Unless you plan to send smoke signals, I doubt you could contact them," said Danny quietly.

Amy looked at him.

"What?" she said, not following.

"Well, unless you haven't noticed, we have been unable to get phone signal for the last hour and a half," continued Danny. "And I'll bet they've already cut the land lines,"

"How would you know?" snapped Andrew with a huff.

"Because that's what happened last time," said Katherine quietly, the look on her face saying she remembered all to well.

As if to confirm all their fears Mrs McClide entered on cue.

"Oh you're all in here, well I was going to say that there appears to be a problem with the landlines," she said and then paused as none of them seemed surprised at the news. "I just thought I'd inform you, I'm thinking it may be something to do with that really loud bang from earlier,"

"The explosion you mean," said Kelly quietly.

"Explosion? What would be exploding?" she asked, giving Kelly a look.

"Two trucks," murmured Malcolm under his breath.

"It just sounded pretty loud, so we thought…" started Uncle Marty

"I doubt it, was probably something to do with the central office where the phone exchange is," she said with a shrug. "Some accidental electrical fire or something,"

They looked between each other; all thinking it was unlikely to be accidental.

"The other thing I wanted to mention is, if you're planning on staying longer much longer then we will have to start charging you," she said, looking around them all.

They gave her nods and murmurs to show they understood. She gave them a smile, before leaving the room.

"So that's that, we have no way of escaping unless we find a boat or swim," said Robin with a sigh.

"Or a boat house with a radio inside," said Trish, resting her head back against the sofa.

"Why? Just why Chloe and Cal, why on earth did you choose this place?" asked Lucy, looking between them.

"Yeah, cause it's like déjà vu," added Nikki, running a hand through her hair.

"It was a collaboration of reasons," said Cal slowly. "I'm sorry guys,"

"We're both sorry," added Chloe, giving her husband's hand a squeeze.

"It would have probably been fine if you hadn't invited her," said Andrew sulkily.

"You're asking to get punched you are," snapped Sully, rising to his feet.

"None of you would be here if it wasn't for her," argued Andrew.

"Andrew, you're not helping," said Chloe, anger rising in her voice. "Are you saying you'd rather I was dead?"

"I…of course not, it's just I…" Andrew tried, but he honestly couldn't explain himself.

"Yes we wouldn't be here, but I'd rather be here then dead if I'm honest," said Chloe, closing the distance between her and her brother. "I know you're scared, but I need you to be strong, cause I need my brother not the man you've been these past few days,"

He looked at her, studying her face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

"I forgive you," she said, kissing him on the cheek.

She gave his hand a squeeze and then walked back to Cal.

"So what are we going to do?" asked Jason, glancing around.

"Well, we are all decided we can't stay, but if Rebecca isn't dead then this is where she'll most likely come back to," said Cal calmly.

"Maybe, we should stay until the morning," said Abby, now sitting up. "It's not going to be long before it gets dark and at least here we have a better chance at defending ourselves,"

"Abby's right, we don't have a chance of seeing whatever's out there in the dark," agreed JD, as if he was remembering his brother's use of darkness to get to him without being seen.

"So we follow Rebecca's advice, we stay here, together and don't touch anything," said Jimmy, glancing around the faces.

"So we starve?" said Andrew quietly.

"No, but we may see what we can do about food and such," said Danny, his face thoughtful.

"I'm happy to go on first watch," announced Thomas, speaking for the first time since the conversation had started.

"I'll join you," said Sully with a nod "Two more volunteers?"

Richard nodded getting to his feet, as did Nikki.

"We will swap every four hours or should it be six?" said Thomas, authority in his tone.

"Let's make it five, then it's in between those two suggestions," suggested Richard.

Thomas looked at him for a moment and then nodded his approval. So it was set, they would stay there for the night and then see if the morning light brought them any new ideas. As people set up the floor for sleeping, Mrs McClide made a reappearance and the expression on her face was one of disapproval.

"May I ask what you think you are all doing?" she said, her voice no longer cheerful.

Everyone halted in what they were doing. As Annie McClide surveyed the room; her eyes widened as they came to rest of the multiple number of firearms that had appeared.

"Well…um," started Malcolm, who was nearest.

It was Maggie who saved them all.

"Well," she started, marching over and taking Annie by the shoulders. She then proceeded to lead her away while she explained some reason or other for what was going on.

When she returned they all looked to her; intrigued at what she had told the poor woman. Maggie smiled.

"She's fine with it all," she announced and then started to go over to Charlie to help him.

"Oh, come on you can't just leave it like that, Maggie" said Jimmy, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, he's not the only one who'd like to know what you said," added Charlie with a smile.

Maggie laughed.

"I told her it was a tradition of my hotel, for the wedding party to spend either the night of the wedding or the night after the wedding together to signify even though they have married each other, their friends and family will still be here to support them. Oh and the 'unloaded' weapons signified protection of the bride and groom by the family and friends and that even though I'd lost my hotel, we though it would be nice to do it," she explained with a smile. "That and due to all the stress that many of the wedding party members had been suffering, that our 'sort of' therapist had recommended spending time together,"

"What and she bought that?" said Nikki, raising an eyebrow.

"What do you think?" said Maggie with a look of 'of course not'.

"What did she say?" asked Shea, looking at Maggie from her position on the sofa.

"She said that was all very well in my own hotel, but this was hers and she wasn't having it," said Maggie with a shrug.

"But you said…" started Andy.

She smiled broader.

"So then I just told her we'd pay her extra if she let us do it," she said simply.

"Bribery?" said Charlie, giving her a look. "Well I'd have never have thought you would stoop to such a level Maggie Krell, you sly old girl!"

"Who are you calling old, Charlie Mills!" she said, feigning hurt.

He smiled and laughed, he wasn't the only one. A few others were sniggering too.

"Anyway, she accepted so we're sorted," continued Maggie, after she'd calmed herself.

"So we're camping then, exactly like Rebecca told us too?" asked Madison, looking up at her mother.

Her words removing the happy vibe that had been flitting around and replacing it with a sombre one; as everyone was reminded of the last words Rebecca had said to them and the fact she'd then gone over a cliff.

"Yes," said Shea quietly. "We're camping,"

"Not our version of camping, eh, Jimmy?" said Shane quietly.

Jimmy looked at him and gave him a sad smile. Shane smiled and then paused, as he found a pair of eyes giving him a disapproving look.

"What?" he demanded, glaring back at the blonde who stood staring at him with her arms crossed.

"You know what, Shane Peirce," she said, shaking her head at him.

Then she glanced at Abby.

"Remember Shane and Jimmy's version of camping, Abby?" she said, a smile playing on her lips.

Abby looked up and smiled a little. She glanced at Jimmy and found he was looking at her too. She looked away quickly and went back to doing what she was doing.

"See, we islanders all know what your version of camping is," Nikki told Shane.

He rolled his eyes and turned back to the gun he'd been loading. His smile faded though; as memories of the past came to him, they all involved her. He pushed them away, he wasn't gonna give up on her yet, not this time. No, he was going to believe that Rebecca was alive until he was proved otherwise.

He wasn't wrong though. I was alive, literally clinging onto life as hard as I was clinging to the cliff that I was attempting to climb. It wasn't easy, especially since my hands were slick with my own blood and sweat. Even as I climbed, I thought about how I'd got there.

_The trucks had neared the cliff, but I hadn't let up. If I was honest I'd given it more, increased my speed toward the cliff. Then off the brown truck had gone, mine following it like a sheep. It didn't bother me though, because the most important thing, the fact my saves were safe, was achieved by this one act. They were going to die, I had won and there was nothing they could bloody well do about it. It almost made me laugh, more with relief then anything else._

_Yet as we dropped, to my horror I saw Henry and Wakefield morph before my eyes into two random people._

"_Rogues," I hissed under my breath._

_This couldn't be happening. They couldn't be rogues, but they were. It did, however, make me feel better that they didn't look happy about what was happening. It was then I realised it was their fear that had caused them to change back. Yet, it also gave me a reason not to just sit where I was. So I moved, my senses heightened and I moved with incredible speed. I released my seatbelt, smashed the back window of the truck and leaped into the bed of the truck in almost one movement. I then drew my hunting knife and focusing, I ran for the back end of the bed and launched off the right hand corner at the wall of cliff we'd just gone over. I doubt a normal person could have managed such a feat, let alone flung themselves the distance which I did. _

_I smashed face and front body first into the cliff, crashing downwards, dirt, cliff plants and plain old rock rising into my face, as I forced my arms and so in turn my knife into the rock face. I thought it was never going to find a grip strong enough to stop my rapid decent, but it did. I came to a sudden halt which almost pulled my arms out of their sockets and I was amazed I didn't lose my grip on the handle of the knife. My body stung due to been practically grated down a cliff which tore my clothing and cut my skin. Then came the explosion of the two trucks which sounded so much louder then it should, as even at half power my heightened hearing made the sound hurt my ears so much more. It didn't matter though, I didn't have time to worry about me or care how much my body hurt. I had but one purpose and that was to get back up this godforsaken cliff as fast as physically possible. So I drove myself to start the ascent. I spat the mud, blood and bits of rock and dust out my mouth and began finding hand and foot holds, occasionally using the knife for extra grip._

That's where the fading light now found me. I was still ascending, because I couldn't afford to stop. I wouldn't because every second counted. Seeing who I'd thought to be Henry and John transform into Rogues was my reason for forcing myself up this cliff. That's because it meant two things, one it confirmed Wakefield and Henry were still alive and two, they were still up there…with my saves.

* * *

Sully stood by one window, looking out across the lawn to the trees which seemed more ominous in the growing darkness. His eyes scanned all that he could see for movement and he kept a firm hold of the rifle in his hands. It comforted him a little to feel the smooth metal of the colt on his back that still remained hidden down the back of his jeans. He missed her. Occasionally, now and again, he'd look back into the room instead. Most of the furniture, except for the chairs and sofas, had been moved and mattresses had been laid down in the spaces. Some people were seemingly sleeping on them, while others just sat and dozed, some even just sat. A fire burned brightly in the grate at the far end of the room and he found his eyes where drawn to the warmth of the dancing flames. He watched them move and sway, sometimes forming shapes like figures of people or other objects. He soon found that the longer he watched those flames, the more sleepy he felt and unconsciously his eyes began to close. He tried to fight the calls of sleep, but it was difficult, however, he came to when a voice asked him a question.

"Hey man, you ok?" asked a voice out of the blue.

Sully jolted and found he'd slid part way down the wall. He shook himself and straightened to find Shane looking at him.

"What? Oh, yeah, just a bit tired, that's all," he replied, blinking rapidly and again returning to glancing out the window.

"Seen anything at all?" asked Shane, now joining him.

"No, nothing that you would consider a threat," replied Sully, tiredness evident in his voice.

"Would you like me to take over?" asked Shane, watching Sully out of the corner of his eye.

"No it's fine, I haven't done my allotted time yet, still got a couple of hours to go," said Sully quietly.

"You've been stood here for three and a half hours," commented Shane, giving him a look.

"Even better, only an hour and a half to go then," said Sully, staring out into the dusk light, then he turned and looked Shane up and down. "Besides, you haven't slept yet, you need to get some sleep,"

"I will, just saying you seem more tired then me and Rebecca won't be impressed that you are skimping on sleep," said Shane, a grin playing on his lips.

"I won't be the only one she will be reprimanding if you don't go and get you head down for a bit," replied Sully, raising an eyebrow at Shane.

"Fine," he said and then he began to move off.

"Shane?" said Sully slowly.

Shane paused and turned.

"You really think she's still alive?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, I do," he said, looking the blonde in the eyes.

"I hope your right," he said as he returned to gazing out the window.

Shane headed across the room to a spare mattress and settled himself on it. He stared up at the ceiling, the plaster had been done in a way that there were now little patterns left in it. He watched them, following them. They appeared to him to be like the waves on a rough sea and again memories of the past floated on those waves. He allowed his eyes to close and the memories to take over, as he lost himself in the depths of sleep.

* * *

When it was finally Sully's turn to swap, Thomas made the decisions of who was to be on duty next. Sully was told to swap with Trish, so he slowly and sleepily made his way over to where she was lying asleep on the sofa. He had to admit she looked even more beautiful asleep, he felt bad to be waking her from what appear to be such a peaceful rest.

"Trish?" he said softly, shaking her gently. "Wake up, Trish,"

"Mmm," she mumbled and her eyes fluttered open. "Sully?"

"It's your turn according to your Dad," said Sully quietly.

"Oh, ok," she said, slowly sitting up and sweeping her hair out her face.

She studied him for a minute.

"You look really tired," she commented as she stood up. "You can have my spot on the sofa,"

"Hmm, yeah," he replied, yawning.

She placed her hands on his shoulders and guided him round and then down into a sitting position on the sofa.

"Get some rest, Sully," she told him, before kissing him on the top of his head.

She picked up the gun from his loose fingers and began to make her way towards the window, giving her father a nod as she did. Sully just sat there seemingly staring into space. He was in fact glancing around the room. He smiled as he spotted Shane out for the count. He also noticed that he didn't have any blanket or such to keep him warm; he rolled his eyes at himself as he was unable to believe he'd give a damn about such a thing. It had to be her affect on him, he decided, she had made him this man. She would argue otherwise, say it was all him, say it was who he had been all along. Still, he sighed and began to get to his feet only to stop as he saw Trish catch his eye. He sat back down as she now made her way over to Shane with a blanket and laid it over him. She then turned to Sully, indicating him to lie down as she came over with a second blanket. He removed his shoes and did as he was told, appreciating the soft sofa pillow which his head now sank into. Trish gave him a smile as she laid a blanket over him and then she headed back to her position by the window. Sully felt the warmth wash over him and shifting to make himself more comfy, he finally relaxed and let sleep take him.

* * *

As the sun rose and tinted the sky with light, I was still climbing. For around every ten feet I went up, four to five of those was lost in me falling back down. It was in no way an easy climb and I was tired, in pain and stiff from been stuck there all night. Still on and on I forced myself, I could if I stared long enough just about see the top. The end of my desperate struggle, yet I doubted it would be much of a climax. For as soon as I reached the top, I'd still have to reach them and possibly protect them from whatever was coming. That was the one thing I was sure of, something was coming and it was going to be in no way small.

* * *

The morning light also brought with it the third change of people on guard duty. Trish picked the next four and JD found himself with the duty of waking up Shane. He did not relish the thought, but sighed and did it anyway.

"Shane? Come on Shane you've gotta get up," he said, nudging him with his foot.

Shane didn't budge; in fact he didn't stir in anyway at all.

"Shane!" snapped JD, shaking him now. "Come on,"

Again Shane did not appear to hear him.

JD tried several more times and only managed to get a slight groan from him. Jimmy, who'd swapped with Trish, now came over.

"JD, you go get some sleep, I'll get him up," he said as he could see JD was about ready to start kicking Shane, which he knew would only cause a fight.

"Fine, see if you can do any better," grumbled JD, putting the gun he had been holding down near by. "I knew he was a heavy sleeper, but this is ridiculous!"

Jimmy could see JD was tired, which explained why he was grumpy, but he did have to smile at JD's last comment. As JD stumbled off, he now turned his attention to Shane.

"Shane, come on man," he said, tapping Shane's cheek. "It's our turn for watching,"

"Mmm, five more minutes," Shane mumbled, his voice thick with sleep.

"No, now!" said Jimmy, louder then before. "Or I'm gonna have to resort to something else,"

Shane's eyes opened a crack as he looked sleepily at his best friend.

"You wouldn't, you're too nice…" he said, his eyes closing again, his voice trailing off and a smirk appearing on his lips.

"Hmm, now where's that jug of water," said Jimmy, moving away slightly.

"You wouldn't dare!" said Shane, now opening his eyes and shifting so he could better see Jimmy.

"You really want to test me?" asked Jimmy, smirking just as much as Shane.

"Fine," he growled, now pushing himself up. "I'm up, I'm up,"

Jimmy smiled and then picking up what had been JD's gun, he proffered it to Shane. Shane sat for a moment blinking and then, staggering a little to his feet, took the gun from Jimmy. They took positions up at the window as the outlines of the trees became clearer and the distance to which they could see improved. They remained like that even when people started to wake and get up. At 9am Annie McClide appeared to offer them breakfast and they all accepted. After all, Rebecca had said nothing about accepting food from the hotel staff, plus it wasn't like they were touching anything. However, Annie came back to them saying did they mind cold food as it appeared the cooker wasn't working.

"Um, no that's fine," said Charlie with a shrug.

"As long as there are some hot drinks going I think we're good," said Cal cheerfully.

She nodded and started to leave.

"Um, hey, when you say not working, how do you mean?" asked Darren curiously. "Only I'm a mechanic and pretty good at fixing things,"

"You turn the dials on, but no gas comes out, no gas, no heat for cooking food," explained Annie.

"I can have a look if you like," continued Darren with a smile.

"Yes, that would be great, it would save us having to try and get hold of someone," she said, the smile on her face broadening.

She headed off and Darren made to follow, but he was pulled aside by Chloe and Cal.

"So you think that's really a good idea?" said Cal, looking Darren in the eyes.

"Rebecca told us not to touch anything and messing with the cooker is definitely touching something," added Chloe seriously.

"It's a bit more then touching something, my love, it's stick ones hand in and grab it by the horns!" said Cal with a worried look.

"I'm just taking a look, what's the worst that could happen?" said Darren, shaking his head at them.

"Um, look what happened in the church," said Chloe with a look. "Anything could go wrong, I mean it could start a fire…or worse and Rebecca's not here to help us,"

"Look, I'll be like, ten minutes, I'm just looking," he said, now placing a reassuring hand on Chloe's shoulder. "Stop worrying,"

He gave them both a grin and turning, walked out of the room.

"I don't like it," said Chloe, hugging Cal. "I get this feeling that something's not right,"

"I know, my love," said Cal, stroking her hair. "But, maybe we are worrying a little too much,"

"You're probably right, it's just I can't shake this feeling," she said quietly.

He held her close and found himself looking round the room. He could tell by some of the expressions that they weren't the only two worrying about what Darren was doing and/or the situation they were in. He looked to the door way that Darren had exited through and hoped beyond hope that their worry was for nothing.

* * *

I was so close to the top now I could see it. I was struggling with the last bit though; as there was less available hand and foot holds. Yet, as I began to search for the next one for my right hand, I suddenly felt like I was struck again between the eyes by another vision. The images flashed before me, the screams, cries and fear overloading my senses in such a way I was surprised I held on. As it ended I pressed my forehead against the cold rock before me and concentrated on slowing my breathing. I looked up at the top and with grim determination set about reaching it.

* * *

It had been longer then ten minutes. Anne McClide had brought some cold sandwiches and drinks in and then left them to it. They were all uneasy and the people on watch scanned the outside world constantly. Beth picked up one tray and offered it round those on duty, refusing to let them continue without taking at least one sandwich.

"Can't have you collapsing due to hunger when we need you alert, can we," she told Shane when he shook his head at her offering of food.

He relented though, when she remained stood there even with his glowering looks. Cal was sat on the edge of one of the sofas watching his wife pace back and forward. He could see Sully, Danny and Beth all watching her out the corners of their eyes and he understood their looks. For he too was remembering the last time he'd seen her like this.

"I thought Darren said he was only going to be ten minutes," said Susan, breaking the tense silence.

"Maybe someone should go get him," said Danny, standing up.

"I'll go and drag his arse back here if someone will swap with me," offered Shane, looking to Richard and Thomas.

"No, it's better if you stay there, Shane," said Nikki calmly as she could.

"I'll go get him," said James in his deep rich voice.

"Thanks," said Cal giving him a nod.

James headed out the room and everyone else returned to milling around. Shane, Jimmy, Jason and Charlie went back to looking out the windows, guns at the ready. Shane scanned the tree line again, but found his gaze was drawn back to a particular point. He stared hard and using one of his hands to reduce the amount of light pressed his face close to the glass.

"Shane? What is it?" asked Jimmy, spotting his friend's actions.

"I don't know, I swear I saw something," he mumbled, moving to try and see better. "I think I can still see something. In the tree line, about in the middle,"

He pointed trying to get Jimmy to see what he could see, or thought he could see. Jimmy stared, but hard as he could he couldn't spot what Shane was meaning.

"Maybe it's just the shifting shadows of the trees," suggested Jimmy.

Thomas had noticed the two younger men and came over.

"See something boys?" he asked seriously.

"I thought I could, but I don't know," said Shane with a sigh.

At another window, Jason was peering too. He swore he'd just seen something, something shiny as the light had bounced off it.

"What do you think you saw?" he asked Shane now.

"Why?" asked Shane as he, Thomas and Jimmy looked over.

"Cause I think I just saw something shiny, metal maybe," he said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Near the bushes at this end,"

"Like a gun?" asked Jimmy, meeting his eyes.

"No, it was silvery, steel perhaps?" replied Jason.

Thomas and Jimmy began to move towards him. Other people had taken interest in their conversation and began to move towards the windows too. Shane again looked at the spot he'd been peering at and his eyes widened for now he spotted the movement again. However, this time he got a much better look at what it was.

"Oh shit!" he snarled, backing up. "Get away from the windows!"

A few turned, but others were still trying to see. Jimmy looked at him and he immediately saw the fear in Shane's features.

"Shane?" said Jimmy slowly.

"Move!" Shane roared, making everyone turn. "Get away from the windows and walls, now!"

People began to move, Shane was dragging some, pulling them back. His eyes moved back to the trees as he saw the things emerging slightly more from the trees. The cold steel points, glistening in the sun.

"What the hell?" said Charlie, spotting them now.

Richard, Thomas, Jimmy and Jason had seen them too. The menacing things been wheeled from the trees.

"They've got flipping harpoons!" spluttered Sully, spotting the threat as he backed up.

If I had been there I would have corrected him, for they were in fact a Death Jumper piece of equipment known as a Bee Stinger. It was basically a harpoon grappling hook.

"They?" questioned Andrew. "Who's they?"

"The bloody people pushing the bloody weapons!" snapped Jason his tone exasperated.

"You still thinking we're better off without Rebecca?" snarled Sully to Andrew.

Andrew just looked at him, he had no reply.

"Get down!" yelled Shane as he saw one of the people pushing the device pull a leaver.

Ssssssshtdunkdt!

The point of the projectile exploded through the wall partition between the windows that Shane and Jimmy had been stood at. It flew towards the back of the room pausing, for mere millionths of a second, just before it would have hit a shaking Booth in the face. Then the barbs near the head, which had been tucked tightly against the shaft, sprang out like a frill as it was dragged back the way it had come. All the time spinning like a corkscrew as it receded. It was these barbs which stopped the grapple coming back out, like the ones on a bee's sting, which gave it its name. It slammed into the wall, just as two more exploded through the partitions to the right and left of the first.

Ssssshtdunkdt! Ssssshtdunkdt!

Again both shot back after they entered, expanding so they locked onto the wall. These two added to the pressure that was already been exerted by the first. The strain on the stone work, mortar, wood and glass was immense, the glass shattering and spraying tiny needle like fragments over everything and everyone. The building seemed to creak and ripple as the three grappling hooks continued to attempt to retreat with the wall. The window frames splintered and bent outwards, caving in on themselves, as the wall was heading the same way. The plaster cracked and the sound was painful on the ears to the extent that, people who were trying to crawl away from the receding wall had to stop and cover their ears.

Eeeerk!

The wall gave way crashing and crumbling, bits of ceiling, window, wall and plaster dust following in its wake. Daylight pored through the now gaping hole, highlighting the constant curtain of falling dust and mortar.

"Don't go near it, don't go outside!" warned Shane, who seemed to have taken charge of the situation.

"As if we would be stupid enough…" muttered Andrew under his breath.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Amy, biting her lip.

"I don't know, can anyone see anything?" said Chloe, trying to peer over the protective form of Cal.

"I'll check," offered Jimmy, now starting to move slowly towards the opening.

"Jimmy!" growled Shane.

"Someone's gotta do it," he replied, looking at Shane and then round the room.

His eyes finally came to rest on Abby.

"Be careful," she mouthed to him, or he thought/hoped she did.

He then turned back to the job in hand and continued to move towards the new way out of the hotel.

Meanwhile, James had headed though the hall and down the corridor that lead to the bar, dining room and eventually the kitchen. He entered into the kitchen and glanced around looking for Darren.

"Darren?" he said, now rounding one of the large metal benches.

"Here," he replied.

James went down the isle the metal bench created and when he reached the end, turned right to find Darren on his hands and knees peering into the back of the oven.

"Cal, Chloe and co are wondering what happened to the so called ten minutes?" said James, standing with his arms folded and a disapproving look on his face.

"Oh, yeah sorry," replied Darren, turning and giving James a sheepish smile. "Lost track of time,"

"Uh huh," said James, shaking his head.

"Look, I think I know what's wrong," he said, now rolling onto his back and getting under the large cooker.

"I think you should just leave it, you're a mechanic not an appliances repair man," commented James with a sigh.

"Yeah, but wouldn't you like some hot food?" asked Darren, sliding out and attempting to move the cooker.

"Well I'd rather get out of here if I'm honest," said James, glancing around the cold metal kitchen, a strange feeling of been watched washing over him.

It made his skin prickle, but he couldn't see anyone. He clenched and unclenched his fists and tried to shrug the feeling off.

"Mmhmm," mumbled Darren, who was wriggling his body to better position himself. "Want to give us a hand?"

"Ok, but Cal ain't gonna be happy," said James, now taking hold of the cooker.

The two men proceeded to attempt to move the heavy piece of equipment and were in the process of doing so when James paused as a sound reached his ears.

"Hey, what was that?" he asked, glancing around and then back at Darren.

"What was what?" asked Darren as he took a moment to wipe the perspiration from his brow.

"That odd sort of metal thudding noise," he said, his expression suspicious. "And I'm sure I heard raised voices,"

"Probably the landlady complaining again," replied Darren with a shrug. "I didn't hear anything,"

James sighed and prepared himself to take the weight once more, when the noise came again and it was louder. Then worried cries and he felt strange vibrations, tremors even, through the soles of his shoes. The two men looked at each other.

"I'm gonna go see what's going on," said James, already turning to head back the way he came.

"Okay, I can get behind this now," said Darren with a nod. "Tell Cal and Chloe I'll be through in a minute,"

"Will do," came James's reply before he exited the kitchen.

He walked down the corridor and through towards the hall, just as a fearful noise reached his ears. He quickened his pace and came to an abrupt halt in the doorway. He stared for a mere thirty seconds at the gaping hole in the wall, that when he'd left had been whole. There were people on the floor, covered in plaster, glass and other things, who seemed unable to comprehend what had happened or what they should be doing. He recognised the man who was closest to the hole to be Jimmy, one of the guys who had resented the English girl's arrival. He turned, now intent on dragging Darren back so that they were all together to face this new development. He had got halfway across the hallway, when something made him look up. He stared out the window that was in front of him, slightly to his right. Out of which you could usually see the bit of gravel that seemed to form a path in between the outside wall of the hotel and the flower beds in front of it, but there was now something not quite right. For stood there was a man and he was peering in what James assumed was one of the kitchen windows. He was watching something intently and the way he looked at, whatever it was, made James's skin crawl. It immediately brought back his memory of standing with Darren in the kitchen and he realised that this is what it must have been. He was about to move forward, intent on getting Darren and returning to the group, when he paused and fear rippled through him. The man was no longer looking in the kitchen window, but instead right at him. The guy, who was shorter then him, with pale skin and dark greasy hair was staring at him, head partly cocked and wearing a grin on his face. It was in no way friendly, in fact it was verging on the psychotic. He then glanced back towards the window he'd been looking through and then winked at James. James felt his stomach turn; as the guys grin turned to a smirk and then he began to laugh. That's when it clicked with James, something was seriously wrong and it was to do with the kitchen.

"Darren!" he yelled as he began to run, ignoring the laughing man. "Darren, don't touch that cooker!"

* * *

Darren had watched James leave and now he got back to the job in hand. He could see the pipe that pumped the gas into the cooker. He peered at it and, even with his limited knowledge of cookers, he realised something didn't look entirely right. It appeared to have attached to it a white cloth-like thing which was tied round the pipe. Maybe it had been a patch job he thought, but he was sure even if it was, it wasn't meant to look like that. In fact he would bet anyone a bottle of scotch it wasn't meant to look like that. He now began to attempt to remove it. Carefully undoing the knots in the cotton thing and freeing it off. He had removed most of it, when he realised the cloth was attached to something stuck in the pipe. That must be what's blocking the gas, he thought. He began to attempt to remove the item from the pipe by pulling gently on it. It was stuck quite firm, so he pulled harder and harder. It appeared to be beginning to give, when he heard James's voice yelling something to him. Something about the cooker, he thought, he couldn't be sure, besides the thing finally came free from the pipe. He looked down at it and an expression of confusion appeared on his face. Attached to the end of the cotton tie was a metal loop with a short, straight bit of metal hanging from it. A bit like a pin, he thought.

"Oh shit!" snarled Darren as realisation dawned on him.

But he didn't have time to even move.

KAAAABOOOOOOOOOM!

The kitchen exploded, the blast was large enough to catch James in it and throw him backwards. The hotel rocked with the reverberations of the explosion and the sound was loud enough for me to hear. It came just as I reached the top of the cliff, panting. My heart in my mouth I flung myself forward, landing on all four paws and pelted up the road towards the hotel.

* * *

In the sunroom, they had realised that even though the wall had gone there seemed to be nothing happening outside. The people and the launchers had gone and the north lawn was void of movement. They were confused as to why nothing appeared to be occurring, up until the blast that came from behind them all. Shane had been trying to calm them, saying whatever they were gonna do, they shouldn't go out though the hole.

"That's what they want," he informed them of his opinion.

Well that was easy to say when there wasn't an explosion occurring in the only other direction you could go. Plus as the explosion occurred and bits of the sunroom's wall and the doorway to it came flying into the room, silencing the voice of reason, the only logical way to go was out through the hole. People surged forward, fear and terror taking over from sense and rationality. Out onto the north lawn they spilled, running for the trees as only thoughts for their own preservation drove them on.

It was, however, what their tormentors had been waiting for. As people ran, from the bushes and even the trees before them appeared a mixture of people and animals. The creatures ran at the escaping people jumping at them/on them, trying to bring them down. Screams filled the air as my saves tried to fight them off, pushing, kicking or in some cases, when they remembered they had guns, shooting them. Yet these people and creatures did not fall so easy. As Sully hit one in the chest with a blast from his shot gun, there was barely a pause before the guy he'd shot was back on his feet and charging him again. Thomas managed to hit one with a head shot, however it was too high and the ginger haired man staggered but kept coming. Thomas fired again and this time he hit the correct spot. The man toppled and did not rise again.

A large leopard leapt upon Malcolm, intent on removing his throat, when it too was shot, the bullet hitting the kill point, off him by none other then a shaking Booth. Where he'd got the gun, I'd never know. For all the power of the Rogues, most people had reached the trees unscathed. Cal and Chloe had paused when they reached the edge and looked back the way they had come at the people still running. It was at that point that Chloe's eyes spotted something that made her face pale. Trish was stood stock still halfway across the lawn, seemingly frozen with fear, staring at a large and beefy man stood about twenty or so metres from her. He was muscular with dark brown hair and moustache and his brown eyes were fixated on her.

"Run, Trish!" Chloe yelled desperately. "Trish, move!"

Her cry caused several other people to turn and register the situation.

"Trish, what are you doing?" yelled Jimmy, who was to right of Chloe and Cal if you were looking at the trees, still on the grass.

Jimmy had been among the first out the hole, though it hadn't been through choice. He'd been forced out by the surge of people. He'd been glancing around looking for Shane, but had been unable to spot him in the throng of people running.

"Trish!" he yelled again.

Trish was shaking; she couldn't make her feet move. This man was coming for her and she couldn't escape, tears starting to make her eyes shine.

"Why won't she run?" said Chloe to Cal.

"I think it is fear, my love," replied Cal.

The man suddenly laughed and then grew serious. His form began to shimmer and shift until Trish was no longer facing the man, but a large and powerful Rhino. He snorted and shifted his feet, readying himself to charge.

"Trish!" Richard now yelled. "Bloody Run!"

Trish couldn't move, she couldn't, that was until suddenly a hand grabbed her arm. She jumped and turned her head to find Andy.

"Come on Trish," he said, pulling her round. "Move,"

He pushed her, and finally she found her legs. She ran now, ran for all she was worth, but then came to a skidding halt when she realised she could no longer hear Andy's pounding feet. She swung round as his voice reached her ears.

"Come on you great, big, fat, ugly dick!" he hollered at the rhino. "Or are you such a chicken, you will only take on women!"

Andy had run back more towards the hotel. He was skipping and laughing as hard as he could at the creature. She could tell he was forcing the laugh; he was trying his best to keep it from going for her.

"Andy, get out of there!" yelled Jimmy, now starting to jog towards Trish to encourage her on the last bit of the way to the trees.

Most of the animals and people had disappeared after the escapees. Only the rhino and about two others remained.

"Come on you stupid dumb shit!" yelled Andy, ignoring Jimmy.

That was it; the rhino had had it with this boy. He could be the hero he wanted to be and die. He snorted, stamped and launched his bulk forward. The ground shook with the vibrations, the heavy beast caused, as it charged towards Andy. Andy could hear the yells of the others, of Cal, Chloe, Richard, Jimmy and even Trish, but he wasn't going to run. He wanted them to go.

"Get out of here!" he yelled at them. "Run!"

The rhino was closing, the rumbling getting louder. It rattled Andy's teeth, his bones and every fibre of his being screamed with fear, but he wouldn't run. It lowered its horned head, but he still wouldn't run. He instead shut his eyes, gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists at his sides. He waited, he heart pounding in his ears.

"Andy!" he heard Jimmy yell one last time and he waited for the inevitable.

But it never came.

He felt the rush of air as the huge thundering beast shot past his left side, missing him by inches. It forced his eyes open as he had to know why it had missed. He stared at the rhino's receding form, seeing nothing that would explain why it had missed, except it seemed to be snarling in pain. Yet as it turned, its right side now on view, the explanation revealed its self. Hanging on tightly to the right side of the rhino's head and neck was a large cat, a black and orange striped cat…a tiger. It was biting and clawing the rhino, who was desperately trying to rid himself of this creature. He tossed his head, bucked his bulk and spun trying to loosen the cat's grip. Andy just stared; unable to take his eyes off it. Just as Trish and Jimmy reached Andy, the Rhino managed to dislodge the cat and fling it. The tiger somersaulted through the air to land on its own four paws and slide to a stop. It barely paused to curl back its lips in a snarl, directed at the rhino, before it began sprinting towards the rhino. The rhino followed suit and charged at the cat.

"Andy, come on we have to go," said Jimmy, pulling his friend back toward the trees.

Andy now realised that they were the only three still in the vicinity of the hotel as both Chloe and Cal and Richard had disappeared. Even as he allowed them to drag him backwards, he watched as the creatures neared each other. The rhino dropped his head with the intent of spearing the cat, but it was too fast and dodged away, only to spin on its paws and propel itself back in under the rhino. It rolled in a way, that its back paws slid under its body resulting in it been on its back as it slid through the rhino's front legs. Lightning fast it extended its claws, and raising its front paws, sliced through the major tendons in the rhino's forelegs. The rhino let out a scream of agony. His front legs then became unresponsive and failed him, causing him to pitch, nose first, into the grass. The weight and speed creating a rut that sprayed up dirt either side of his head. The tiger slid out from under him, rolling as it did. No sooner was the tiger back on it feet, it was already propelling itself at the fallen, still sliding, rhino. It leapt smoothly onto the rhino's back as he finally came to a halt. He tried in vain to rise, but his tendons were not healing fast enough to be ready before the tiger was stood above his neck. It rolled back its lips and opened its jaws, revealing its impressive canines. Then with a snarl it dealt the fatal blow, biting down hard, hitting the kill spot with ease. Even though it was certain the rhino would never rise again, the sensors in the canines of the tiger read what remained of the dead creature's pulse and repositioned; sinking into the aorta to confirm its kill.

Andy, Jimmy and Trish had reached the trees. Andy took one final look at the magnificent tiger stood upon the body of the rhino. The creature's eyes met his and a primal fear rose in him. He turned and now fled with the other two, leaving behind his memories of this terrifying creature or so he thought. Unbeknown to him, the tiger drew itself to its full height, puffed out its chest as it inhaled deeply and then opening its jaws, it let out a deep, bellowing roar, announcing its existence to all who heard it. Its warning that it would take no prisoners.

* * *

All had soon grown silent. The north lawn bright and green, looking as if nothing had happened except for the occasional exotic creature body, the rhino the most obvious of these. The hotel, however, with its two gaping holes looked now a bit derelict, the charred stone bricks and blackened wood making it look like a war bomb site. Yet, it wasn't entirely empty. Someone stirred slowly from their position on the floor. As they moved, their body ached and a low moan of pain escaped their lips. They sat up slowly, though they remained like that for a few minutes in an attempt to stop their vision swimming. Finally, they got to their feet and surveyed the chaos.

Shane had woken up in plenty of weird and wonderful places, but the sight that lay before him was definitely a new experience. Glass, wood, plaster, a few charred bits of furniture, all littered the room. He was currently lent on the back of the one remaining intact sofa, that was currently side on to the gaping hole. It appeared to be what had protected him a bit. Even as he stood there his head began to ache, but not like a hangover headache, but an actual head bashing headache. As he grimaced in pain, he felt something crack and snap as his skin creased. Reaching up with one hand he felt the left side of his face and head. When he brought his fingers back round they were tacky with blood. He sighed; well at least he now understood why he had woken up on the floor feeling dizzy. He began to test his balance by slowly attempting to make it round to the other side of the sofa, when he heard a sound from the far corner of the room. Great, he thought, here I am stood here with no way of defending myself and there's someone or something else here.

"Show yourself," he said, meaning to sound menacing, but his throat was dry and his voice did not sound as strong as he'd have liked.

"Hello?" came a soft voice.

Shane paused.

"Who is there?" he asked, now peering across the dim lit room.

Something shifted and a person rose to their unsteady feet. Shane paused and relaxed his guard.

"Oh, it's you," he said, shaking his head at the blonde woman. "Chloe's friend, yes?"

"Yeah, I am," she said, slowly pulling plaster out of her hair. "Susan,"

"Do you know what happened?" he asked, watching the woman who, apart from seeming a bit disorientated, seemed perfectly fine.

"Something went bang," she replied plainly. "And people ran and I…I think I hid…or something,"

"Yeah, I think I remember a loud noise…and then blank," he said slowly.

"You look like you got knocked out," she said, indicating with her eyes to his head wound.

"Hmm," replied Shane. "What exploded?"

"I don't know, I think it came from the…" she stopped as something occurred to her. "Darren…Darren and James…"

She turned and now started attempting to get to what remained of the door way.

"Wait, I doubt they'd have stood a chance," he tried as he now attempted to follow her.

He caught up with her in the messed up hall way, one side of which was more charred then the other.

"I don't think they made it," he said, taking a hold of her.

But she pushed him away and would have headed for the nonexistent kitchen, if something hadn't caught her eye.

"James…" she murmured.

She rushed over to him and pulled debris off him, but she stopped when she could see him better. He was slumped back against the wall, neck at an odd angle and his eyes stared lifelessly at nothing in particular. She gasped which turned into a half scream and tears came to her eyes.

"No, no…he can't be, he can't…" she sobbed.

Shane without words took hold of her and hugged her to him. She didn't push him away this time, taking comfort in his strong arms. When she finally composed herself, he released her and she began to head back to the sun room. He bent down slowly and shut James's eyes, before rising to his feet again. He felt a sudden wave of dizziness, but he shook it off and headed after her.

"What are we gonna do, we're all alone," she said, more to herself then Shane. "They've all run off, they could be anywhere,"

"I don't know," said Shane with a shrug.

"What do we do, maybe we should go after them," she continued, as if she hadn't heard him. "Or go to the docks, find a boat…or we should get them and a boat. Maybe a local can help us…or maybe those people were the locals…"

She went on and on and Shane struggled to get a word in edgeways. She started to get on his nerves a little, his headache increasing.

"We're stuck here, all alone…alone…" she moaned on.

Yet, through all her incessant talking a sound reached his ears, a creak of weight on wood.

"Shut up a minute!" he snapped, giving her a look.

Her babbling came to an end though she looked hurt.

"Um, quieten down," he said, trying to be less grumpy. "I heard something,"

"You did?" she said quietly.

"I don't think we're alone," he said as the creak came again.

Now they both heard definite footsteps of someone outside of the room. They were moving towards the opening. Shane and Susie moved over to the sofa and put it between them and the sound. The dust and plaster was still streaming, obscuring the view out of the hole like a veil. Part of Shane was hopeful, but he wasn't about to be optimistic. He was right not to be, as the shadowy figure appeared and it was no human. At first Shane thought it was a large dog, but as the creature emerged through the curtain of plaster Shane's gut twisted. The massive dark black and gold mane, the lithe, well muscled, golden body and the great fiery gold eyes, it could only be one thing. A huge male lion stalked in and stopped on the other side of the sofa, his eyes studying them.

"Oh…God," stammered Susan, staring at the lion. "What do we do?"

"Do you see anything we can use as a weapon?" whispered Shane, without taking his eyes off the cat.

"Um…" started Susan, nervously glancing round. "Will a shotgun do?"

Shane could have rolled his eyes, but it wasn't worth it.

"Where?" he asked, gripping the sofa.

"Over there, near the far end of the couch," she said, glancing at it. "I think I can reach it,"

"Then do so," he muttered, watching the cat began to tense its muscles.

Susie started moving and the cat let out a low growl. She paused seeing its eyes on her, but she had to try and get the gun. She slowly crouched and began to stretch her arm out to try and wrap her fingers round the weapon. The cat snarled and fear pounded in her heart.

"Hurry!" warned Shane as the cat prepared to pounce.

She got it, pulling it towards her and quickly shoving it into Shane's waiting hands. He checked it was loaded before he cocked it, noting it only had one cartridge in it. Still, he raised the gun at the cat, but it didn't even flinch. In fact, Shane swore he saw it smirk just before it leapt.

Boom!

The blast of the gun propelled the lion back. Shane had hit it square between the eyes.

"Whoo! You got it," cheered Susan, clapping Shane on the shoulder. "Great shot!"

"Lucky shot more like," grumbled Shane.

"It was amazing, scary…but amazing," she said, smiling.

He sighed, now they were back to square one. He rubbed his temples and blinked several times; feeling his world spin a little. The ringing in his ears from the blast of the shot gun wasn't helping. Yet it was replaced by a deep angry growl. They both froze and stared; as the cat rose to its feet. Blood ran down its face and into its eyes and yet it still seemed to be able to see them.

"It should be dead, how is it not?" said Susan, fear in her voice.

"I don't think it's a normal lion, even you know you don't get them in this country," he said seriously.

"It could have escaped from a zoo," she tried, but even she doubted it.

"And what swam across here, no, I think it's something else," said Shane, eyeing the angry lion.

The lion's ears twitched and its bloody gaze focused on him, boring into him.

"What?" said Susan nervously.

But Shane didn't have an answer, he was sure, however, Rebecca would know. But, before he could say anything, the lion snarled. Shane could have sworn he heard it say the word 'stupid'. It wanted payback and it could still take it even in its current state. It roared and charged, flying at them.

"Run! Go!" yelled Shane, shoving Susan towards the hole.

The lion began to leap and Shane brandished the empty gun, but before it even touched him it was slammed into the back wall. Yet, it was up fighting with its new opponent. They rolled, ripping and snarling each trying to get the better of the other. The sight was mesmerising and both Shane and Susan, who stood where Shane had pushed her to, just watched. Then the lion managed to break free, kicking his opponent off into a pile of debris. The newcomer rose to its feet, its fur bristled, hackles rose and it curled back its lips, snarling. Then they collided again, the lion managed to get a hold of the creature by the chest, but the newcomer returned the gesture by sinking its fangs deep into the lion's shoulder. The lion snarled and the other kicked its self free. The lion ran at it, but his opponent ran, launched up the wall, opposite Shane, kicked off it and flipped over the lion. The lion couldn't stop and crashed into the wall in a sprawling heap. The creature now took the chance to attack the lion, its teeth searching for the kill point. Then suddenly it twisted its jaws quickly and ended the fight.

The creature now turned and limped back towards Shane and Susan. They stared at it, watching it suspiciously. It was a golden backed wolf with sparkling green eyes. It was quite large and well built. It studied Susan for a mere moment before focusing on Shane, its tail wagged slightly. The wolf's mouth started to open as if it was going to say something, when something whipped through the curtain of plaster dust and smashed into it. The thing's jaws latched onto the side of the wolf's neck as they flew and crashed into the back wall. It was a sickening thud and now Shane could see the animal was a hyena. It released its bloody grip on the wolf and looked down upon it. It let out a cackling hyena laugh.

"Goodbye, little wolfey," it spat with glee and then began to lower its jaws.

Duunnkt!

The hyena let out a slight squeak before dropping lifelessly to the floor. Shane let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. Susan tensed as they both heard the slow approach of footsteps. Then through the raining curtain walked a person holding a still smoking silver colt automatic.

"Rebecca?" said Shane slowly, seeming unsure if he was dreaming or not.

"Shane, thank god you're alive and Susan isn't it?" I said, smiling.

She nodded nervously. Shane didn't care about anything at that point, he moved as quickly as he could to get to me. He then grabbed me into a hug and held me off the floor. I hugged him back so happy to see him.

"I knew you were alive!" he said happily.

"Shane, you need to put me down now," I said with a slight sense of urgency.

He did, but he gave me a funny look. I didn't have time to explain. Placing my gun in its usual place, I moved swiftly over to the hyena and wolf pile. Tossing the carcass of the hyena aside, I bent down to the wolf. I sighed.

"Brilliant!" I snapped sarcastically.

"That good is it," choked out the voice of the wolf.

Shane, who was stood just behind me, stared, Susan stayed where she was.

"You're lucky you ain't dead!" I said, anger and worry in my tone.

"I couldn't leave you on your own for five minutes," chuckled the wolf, which turned into it coughing blood.

"It's not my fault," I said with a sigh. "Can you stand?"

"I think so," replied the wolf.

I moved back slowly and watched carefully as the wolf got to his feet. His legs wobbled a bit, but he stood. Then to both Shane's and Susan's amazement the image of the wolf seemed to shimmer and morphed into none other then Ryan.

"Bet you didn't see that coming," he chuckled weakly to Shane.

"No man…I…" said Shane, stumbling over the words until he just didn't no what to say.

"Ha, Shane Pierce speechless!" said Ryan, between panting shallow breaths. "Now that's an achievement,"

"I dare say it is," I replied, now turning to direct everyone to the sofa, as Ryan made his way slowly over.

"Yeah…an achievement," repeated Ryan breathlessly. "A right good one…"

His last word faded and he stumbled. I turned just in time to see his eyes roll back into his head and he collapsed forward. I caught him; slowing his decent to the floor.

"Ryan?" I called to him. "Ryan, answer me,"

He was unconscious.

"We need to get him up on the sofa," I ordered now, my voice serious. "Shane, get his legs,"

We lifted him onto the sofa and I began trying to get him to come back to the realm of consciousness. Finally his eyes flicked and he looked up at me weakly.

"Rebecca?" he whispered, looking at me with heavy lidded eyes.

"Hey babe, you collapsed so I'm gonna check you over," I explained to him.

I then opened his shirt and studied his chest wound, before I confirmed my own worst fears that it was the neck wound that had caused the collapse. The chest wound was deep, but not fatal to a Death Jumper. Although Ryan was a member of the Panel's Crew, he had once been and technically still was a Death Jumper. Even so, his healing was slower then mine or a rogue's due to the Panel's crew being generally a lower priority.

I now looked at the neck wound. It was deep and had hit inches from the kill spot, he had been damn lucky. I paused taking in Ryan's vitals, how he breathed, how he shuddered, how he was incredibly pale and sweaty. I knew I had but one option.

"Shane, take Susan and go find me some warm water, towels and a first aid kit," I ordered now.

He nodded and looked at Susan, I saw the fear on her face.

"It's fine, just don't split up," I reassured her.

She relented and the two went off to find what I'd asked for.

"I doubt that will make much difference," murmured Ryan quietly.

He shuddered again.

"I know," I replied plainly.

"Then why…" he started, but then he paused and he forced his eyes open enough so he could see me. "You can't!"

"It's my choice and there's nothing you can do about it," I said, ignoring his looks. "I can't heal you fully, but I can certainly get you off the edge,"

"I can't let you," he said, cringing as pain rippled through him.

"Wrong answer," I replied.

Before he could say any more, I concentrated and in my mind I heard the click as what remained of the reaper energy flowed into me. I could feel it and now I placed my hand gently over the bloody wound on his neck. I concentrated and allowed the energy to flow. Ryan gasped and with my other hand I took his. He squeezed tightly and I thought for a moment he might dislocate my fingers. I could feel the energy draining and I forced it to do what I needed it to. Finally, I gasped and Ryan released his grip on me. I looked at the wound and found to my satisfaction it was no longer as deep. The muscles, blood vessels and major areas had knitted themselves back together. The wound was now, more or less, a surface wound.

"You shouldn't have done that," said Ryan, his voice a little rough. "But thank you,"

"You would have done the same for me," I replied with a smile. "However I'm now out of Reaper energy,"

"Actually, I have managed to secure you some more," he said, I could hear the pain and exhaustion in his voice. "But you won't get it till tomorrow,"

"What would I do with out you?" I said, smiling and shaking my head.

"Cry," he said with a sleepy smile.

"Right Mr I-think-I'm-so-funny," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm gonna give you a little painkiller and then clean you up,"

He sighed.

"Ok Matron," he said with a look.

I retrieved the painkiller from my car, which was still parked outside and somehow amazingly had barely a scratch on her, and brought it back just as Shane and Susan returned. I gave Ryan a miniscule amount as it wasn't very safe to give him more. Then he lay there watching my face and attempting to read me, while I cleaned him up. Having sorted his neck I was just about satisfied his chest was clean, when the pain killer began to kick in.

"Mmm, it may be slow, but it's bloomin' good when it starts working," he murmured sleepily.

I smiled brushing a strand of his blonde hair from his face.

"Get some rest, Ryan," I said softly, now finishing the bandaging.

"But, what if you need me…" he started, his eyes fighting to stay open.

"Sleep now, Ryan," I whispered to him, moving my finger in a circling motion over the back of his hand. "Sleep,"

The fight left him and exhaustion won through. His eyes closing as his body relaxed and became limp, his breathing deepening. Once I was sure he was completely out I rose to my feet, found a still useable blanket and placed it over his sleeping form. I then turned my attention to the other two.

"Right, is either of you two hurt?" I asked, already noting the blood on Shane's face.

"Um, I'm ok," said Susan quietly. "A bit tired and hungry,"

"I'm fine," growled Shane with a look that said 'now is not the time to worry about me'.

"Well, for now we should stay here, get some food and rest maybe," I said, glancing around at the mess. "Then we have to get moving,"

Shane nodded and Susan just looked at me. I sighed, this had just got a whole lot harder then I'd been expecting. This was the worst scenario we could be in and I felt like I was being asked to climb a mountain, such as Kilimanjaro, with a ball of string and a banana. As I set about finding some food and such for Shane, Susan and I, I wondered if this was the day when my best would just not be good enough…

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Ok, so how was that? Did we enjoy it? Did we see any of it coming? What's going to happen? Well you'll all just have to wait and see. Oh and did anyone register the line said by one character that was quoted from a recent film? If so, can you name the film? Now as I said above, there is a lot going on so even though I can write the next chapter I may not easily be able to get it up, but I will try as soon as I can. So I hope you will continue to enjoy this story and you can always say what you think by pressing that lovely little review button...*Puppy dog eyes*


	10. Chapter 10 When Fear Takes Hold

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hi all, thanks to jamesss, January Raines and Neon Jack for your lovely reviews. **To James** to your questions, Rebecca Cal and Chloe came about in the church she Multishifted and became both of them to death jump them. The Lucy who died was one of the new characters not the one from Harpers. I'm glad you enjoying it. **To January Raines **I'm sorry about the length between updates, I'll explain below. Here's the next chapter for ya, hope you enjoy it. **To Neon Jack** I'm pleased you're enjoying it and as for a TV series I doubt that would happen.

So yes, it has been a very long time since I last updated but with exams, then moving out of uni house and parents moving house and graduating etc I have struggled to find time to write. This chapter is short, but will hopefully hold you over a little while, so giving me time to complete the longer chapter. I hope you will forgive me and enjoy this chapter. I will complete this story even though it is taking a little longer then the last. So without further a do read on and enjoy and don't forget to review!

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_**Chapter ten-When Fear Takes Hold**_

Jimmy ran, Trish and Andy right behind him. It was one of those blind runs where everything around you appears more a blur. The kind you don't remember the route you take. He would have continued much longer if he hadn't crashed head long into someone. The other two skidded to a halt as Jimmy scrabbled to his feet, ready to defend himself. He, however, came face to face with Richard, who was equally riled and ready to fight.

"Oh, it's you," stuttered Jimmy, between gasps. "I thought you were one of those, those things,"

"No, but you should be more careful, I could have shot you," said Richard, now dusting himself off. "Have you seen any of the others?"

"Not since we ran from the…" started Jimmy, before he was cut off by a scream.

They all looked at each other, before heading quickly in the direction of the sound. The scene they came across though, was not the one they expected. Instead of someone being mauled by a tiger or something, they found Amy Lucas on the floor, having fallen over, with JD and Kelly stood near by.

"I swear it was one of them!" she said, through gasps.

"It was just a squirrel," replied Kelly, in an exasperated voice. "Stop being such a drama queen,"

"How do you know, how can you be so sure," snapped Amy, pushing herself up off the ground.

"Because it took one look at you and ran for dear life," said JD, with a smirk

She glared at him, her look asking if he had something to say.

"What? It did!" he continued, with a shrug.

"Well, thank goodness you're alright," said Trish, trying to ease the tension. "We thought something terrible had occurred,"

"Nope just journalist girl screaming at a squirrel and falling over," said Kelly, with a sigh.

"My name is Amy!" snapped Amy, giving her a look.

"You ok, Andy?" said Kelly, ignoring Amy's protests. "You look a little pale,"

"He almost got trampled," said Jimmy, now moving towards the others.

"Almost became a kebab," muttered Andy quietly.

"A kebab?" questioned Kelly curiously.

Jimmy and Trish smiled slightly as they glanced at Andy.

"Rhino charged me, would have skewered me with his horn, hence kebab," explained Andy with a shy smile.

Kelly smiled and gave Andy a squeeze.

"I'm glad you're ok too," she said with a wink.

"So, have you seen any of the others," asked Trish, glancing round the three.

"No, not recently," said JD, his blue eyes meeting Trish's. "Everyone just ran in different directions,"

"Well, we should try to find them," said Jimmy seriously. "Which way did you come?"

"That way," said Amy, pointing south in the direction of the hotel.

"Well then we should go that way," said Jimmy, pointing North. "As that seems to be the way everyone was headed.

"Wouldn't the most sensible thing be to go that way?" suggested Richard, pointing back the way they'd just come. "The harbour is to the west which is that way, wouldn't that be most people's first port of call?"

"They aren't thinking straight though," pointed out Kelly. "We just ran in blind panic,"

"We should head a little north, but head gradually west. That way, we may be able to find some people," said Trish, now realising they shouldn't linger long. "Let's get going,"

The others agreed and they began to head north, searching in vain hope for any signs of the others. They had been walking briskly for at least 30 minutes, when a sound caught their ears. They moved both quickly and cautiously towards it, slowing as they neared. Richard, Trish and Jimmy raised their guns, ready to shoot, only to find four faces they knew. Malcolm, Beth, Nikki and Robin looking equally as nervous, although Nikki less so then the rest, having got a sawn-off shotgun, all stood staring back at them.

"Oh, it's you," said Malcolm, the nerves showing in his voice. "We thought…"

"Yeah, you're not the first," interjected JD with a nod.

"We're trying to find the others while making for the harbour," said Trish, as she made her way to Beth and hugged her tightly, she then hugged Nikki too.

"So I guess that means you haven't found anyone else?" said Robin quietly.

Trish gave her a sympathetic look, she new how the woman was feeling.

"No, only what you see," said Jimmy, giving her a sad smile. "I'm sure everyone will be fine,"

"You say that," said Richard quietly. "But without Rebecca, I'm not so sure,"

"She wouldn't want us to just give up," said JD, giving Richard a look. "An' you can't just sign her off like that; we don't know for sure she's dead,"

The other's glanced around at one another, some less sure then others.

"Well, you're right in that she'd want us to keep going," said Jimmy, trying to sound confident. "So I think we should do just that,"

Nikki nodded.

"Let's get going," she added, giving Jimmy's shoulder a squeeze, before choosing to walk near Andy so she could talk to him.

They set off once more. A breeze rustled the trees, sending the scents of damp moss, soil and pine wafting through the air. The trees creaked as they walked and branches snapped under foot, occasionally causing them to jump. They were headed in a more north-westerly direction now, with Jimmy and Richard leading while Nikki and JD brought up the rear. Everything seemed fine until Robin paused.

"What's wrong?" asked Trish, causing the rest of the group to stop.

"Something's not right, I feel like someone's watching us," she said, glancing round the trees.

It was the same feeling she'd had when she'd been on Harpers.

"I don't see anyone," said Amy, glancing round.

"It's more of a feeling," replied Robin. "I know it sounds silly, I'm probably imagining it,"

"No, I feel it too," said Andy now, tensing. "There is someone out there,"

"Maybe it's one of our friends?" suggested Beth quietly.

"If it was, why would they be skulking in the trees?" questioned JD with a roll of his eyes.

"Maybe they're unsure it's us, should we call out?" she continued, having not noticed JD's eye rolling.

"I don't think so," said Richard with a shake of his head. "It will let those things know where we are,"

"Ok, you lot stay here," he said, indicating to everyone without a gun. "We'll check it out,"

"Be careful," said Beth, as she watched Trish, Richard, Jimmy and Nikki spread out at equal distances from each other and begin to stalk up the hill.

They moved as quickly and as quietly from tree to tree as they could. As they reached each one, they checked all around, but none of them saw anything.

"Anything?" asked Amy, still glancing around.

"Seems all clear here," called Jimmy back, as quietly as he could.

"Well come on back and lets go," said JD, a bad feeling rising in him.

"Yeah ok," said Trish, starting to walk back down the hill.

"Mind the tree roots as you…" started Nikki, but she was cut off mid sentence.

CRASH!

Nikki came tumbling down the hill into sight.

"I think it's you who…" said Trish with a laugh, but it caught in her throat as she realised Nikki wasn't alone.

A puma was attempting to catch her as she rolled. Trish froze for a mere second, before raising her gun and firing. The others panicked as they spotted two other creatures and primal fear took over, causing them to run in any direction that didn't have some frightening creature there. Jimmy was running down the hill. He'd started as soon as Trish's gun had gone off, realising something was wrong. Trish was gone when Jimmy reached the spot where she had stood, but he didn't stop. He had to get to a vantage point; where he was right now he couldn't see where the creatures were. He spun around looking for anywhere, but his ears picked up the sound of a creature just about on him and his mind went blank.

He ran, the thing on his heels, and he didn't dare look back. Branches wacked him, dirt flew up and still he ran. Tripping, falling and all the time the thing was behind him, closing in. To his right, somewhere, someone else seemed to be running. He wasn't sure who it was; he doubted his panic-stricken brain would be able to work it out anyway. His legs started to burn, perspiration appeared on his brow and his breath began to get ragged, the creature quickened. Yet it wasn't his body that betrayed him, but the ground. It gave way underfoot sending him sprawling to the leafy, muddy floor. The gun flew from his hand and landed several metres away from him. A sharp pain shot up his leg from his ankle and his vision too was going hazy. He tried to move, to crawl away, but his world was spinning, yet then it seemed to focus for a moment. The person who'd been running near by had stopped only a little ahead of him. He stared, he knew this person, he was sure it was her. The dark hair, the brown eyes and pale face, it had to be Abby. She was staring at him.

"Run," he murmured, as he heard the creature approach him in a slow and calculating manner.

She didn't, she just stood there calmly watching. He squinted at her, but his vision was going. Maybe he was seeing things, but now a set of teeth came into view. He didn't have the energy to fight the coming darkness, let alone this blatant threat. Finally, he could hold on no longer and gave into the welcoming black oblivion of unconsciousness.

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So there you go. I know it was short, but the next will be longer and I'll try to get it up faster. So if you fancy making my day, then hit that review button. *Puppy dog eyes*


	11. Chapter 11 Henry All Over Again

Hi all. Thanks to January Raines and Neon Jack for your lovely reviews, they make me happy. **To January Raines **we will have to see what happens to Jimmy. Thanks for your understanding, I hope your graduation went well. I hope you enjoy this chapter too. **To Neon Jack** I know it was short but this is longer. I hope you enjoy it.

Ok I know that this story has taken me a longer time to write then the first but I am trying to get it done. I hopefully will have the next chapter up before or just after Christmas but I can't promise it. I hope you will all continue to read, review and enjoy this story. Be patient and I will do my best to get it done.

So without further ado, and just a warning about a few possible words of bad language and some violence, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter of this story. An' don't forget to hit that review button, it encourages me to write faster!

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_**Chapter eleven-Henry All Over Again**_

It had been a several hours since the chaos had all broken loose, and now I was sat keeping a look out. Ryan was still asleep and Susan, who had been attempting to get some rest, had finally nodded off too. Shane was sat across from me, his gun resting on his lap, watching me.

"When was the last time you got some sleep?" he asked, finally breaking the silence.

"What? Oh…um a while ago," I replied, glancing at him for a moment.

"When?" he repeated, arching an eyebrow.

I sighed.

"The night before last," I said slowly, noting his expression change.

"You need to get some rest," he said seriously. "I can keep watch,"

"I'll be fine, besides you're the one with the head injury," I said, nodding at the blood on his face.

"Hmm, it's nothing," he grumbled, his eyes not leaving mine.

"I'll be the judge of that," I said, now getting to my feet. "At least let me look at it,"

"I said its fine," he growled, though I watched as he rubbed his temples.

"Please, Shane," I said, approaching him.

He squinted at me, a strange look on his face.

"Only if you'll get some rest after," he said, a slight smirk on his lips.

"Fine," I consented and he shifted his position so I could look at his head.

It turned out to be a flesh wound which had bled quite profusely, as all head wounds seem to do. He did admit that he'd been feeling dizzy and had occasional waves of nausea, but I determined it was not serious. I cleaned it up and placed a few butterfly stitches on it. I then clapped him on the shoulder and made my way towards what remained of a mattress, glancing at Ryan on the way. As Shane rose to his feet I saw him grimace, but I said nothing.

"He gonna be alright?" asked Shane, glancing between me and Ryan.

"I should think so," I replied noting Ryan's shallow breathing. "He's strong, but he needs rest to heal,"

Shane attempted to stifle a yawn.

"Go on, get some rest," he said quietly.

"Okay, but only for a little bit," I said, not comfortable about leaving a slightly concussed Shane on guard duty.

I settled myself down and pulled a thin blanket over me. I shut my eyes and within a few minutes I was fast asleep.

Scratch, tap. Scratch, tap.

The sound reached my sensitive hearing. Wondering how long I'd been asleep, I cracked open my eyes a little and glanced around. The first thing I spotted was Shane slumped slightly, eyes shut, gun loose in his occasionally contracting fingers. I mentally slapped myself for not reading how truly tired he'd seemed, perhaps his concussion had been worse then I'd thought. I let my eyes slide shut again, mentally priming myself to get up.

Scratch, tap.

The sound came again and then was replaced by a different sound all together. Footsteps. I then decided to remain still. Let whatever it was think I was still asleep, allowing it the false hope it was undetected.

The man peered into the remainder of the room. He was not very tall, with short dark blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. He also had a goatee which seemed to quiver with anticipation as he scanned the sight before him. He had smelt the Jumper's before he'd spotted them. One incapacitated, it seemed, on the couch and the other was somewhere further back in the room. He had tensed when he'd spotted the armed man, but relaxed as he read the man's posture and breathing confirming, to himself, that the man was out cold. He also knew there was one other in the room, but he deemed her as no threat and so with caution, for he wasn't stupid, he entered the room. He trod lightly across the floor towards the two unconscious men, so he could better see the rest of the occupants. His eyes widened as he saw who the other Jumper was, she was supposed to be dead. He smiled to himself; oh how he'd earn the respect of his friends and co. for killing such an important Jumper. He knew however he couldn't get closer in his human form and so, without another thought, he transformed.

Pad, pat, pad, pat.

He closed the distance upon his target. He shot up and over the sofa and landed. He froze for a mere second to check no one had moved, before he continued closer. Once he was right behind the Jumper, he prepared to strike.

"Mmhmm," mumbled Shane as he seemed to come round.

The man turned and looked at a bleary eyed Shane, who was blinking rapidly and staring at the man who's current form was in fact a polecat. The polecat swung his attention back to the Jumper only to find, instead of hair, a pair of silver blue eyes boring into his own.

"Hello," I said, giving the polecat a wicked smile.

He tried to move, but I was faster. I seized him by the scruff, whipping him off his feet, and stood up holding him away from me. The polecat shivered and now, instead of a scruff, I now had a hold of his hair. His hand came up, but I blocked and now a fight broke out. Back and forward, up and down, we fought on all levels. Then I kicked off the back of the sofa, as he launched off a piece of debris and we met in the middle, fly-fighting. Fly-fighting looks quite amazing if I say so myself, it could best be described as the fighting you see in martial arts films which are often done with wires. It is a midair exchange of blows, back and forth, at high speed for up to 2 minutes without landing on the floor. This happened several times before crashing back to the floor. He then grabbed a broken bit of beam and began wielding it as a weapon. He swung it as I dodged and almost tripped over a broken table. The fight continued on, and I had to admit he wasn't half bad. At one point I went flying past a now very awake Shane only to role up and draw my gun. He stopped in his tracks and I felt a slight twinge of sadness for a mere moment before pulling the trigger.

"What…what just happened?" asked Susan nervously.

"A rogue got too big for his boots," I replied calmly.

"It's my fault," mumbled Shane with a sigh.

"No it's mine, I should have realised how tired you felt," I said, grabbing up the rogues body and chucking out of the hole. "Though, it would help if you weren't so stubborn!"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"The stubbornness should have told you how tired I was," he said, a slight smirk gracing his lips.

I gave him a look.

"Well, you know it's true," he said, giving me a squeeze.

"Hmm, well, it does make one thing very clear," I started, glancing around the two of them. "We can't stay here, we have to go,"

"What? Now?" asked Susan, looking at me.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking," I said, nodding at her. "Go before it gets dark,"

"Where?" questioned Shane, folding his arms.

"I have an idea where we can go," I said, now searching the room. "I don't suppose you brought my gun bag in here?"

"Yeah, it was over there," replied Shane pointing to the corner behind him.

I searched under the rubble and to my relief found the bag. I removed some guns from it, and then decided to put it back in the boot where no one else could get at it. When I returned, I handed one to Shane and then made my way over to still sleeping Ryan.

"Ryan? Ryan, Sweetie," I said trying to rouse him.

The truth was I really didn't want to wake him, but I was hardly gonna leave him there or carry his unconscious form.

"Ryan, I need you to wake up," I said, shaking him hard.

He groaned a little and his eyes flickered. Yet, as he finally seemed to come round, I could see by the glazed look in his eyes that he wasn't really with us.

"Rebecca?" he murmured sleepily. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just I need you to get up, we have to move," I said calmly.

"Oh, ok," he replied, blinking repeatedly.

I was watching him carefully as he started to attempt to get up, when my ears picked up the sound of footsteps coming from what was left of the hall.

"What on earth happened?" exclaimed Annie McClide, her face paling as she looked round at the destruction.

"Well…um…" started Shane, unsure what to say.

"That's not important now, Mrs McClide," I said, taking command of situation. "We have to get out of here and to a place of safety,"

"But…my hotel," she continued. "What happened?"

"Hang on, how were you not caught in the explosion?" asked Susan curiously.

"Explosion?" she said, her voice catching in her throat. "What exploded?"

"Something in the kitchen," said Shane quietly.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, her voice wobbling. "Oh God,"

She suddenly looked very pale and I nodded to Shane, who moved quickly to take hold of the older woman. He sat her down while I turned my attention back to Ryan. He was now pretty much sat up, but his eyes kept slipping shut and his head nodding as he sat there.

"Ryan, I need you to try and stay awake," I said, lifting his chin up so his eyes met mine.

"Mmhmm," he mumbled quietly. "Trying,"

"Ok sweetie," I said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Right, we need to get moving now,"

I helped Ryan up, taking his weight, and indicated the others to move. Shane picked up his gun and I shuffled over with Ryan to pick up my two. Susan helped Annie to her feet and we started for the door. After only a few steps, with Shane's eyes constantly glancing at me, he shook his head and paused.

"Let me take him," he offered. "I think it would be better if you were able to move freely,"

"Well," I started, not wishing to burden him.

"Besides, I'm still a little dizzy and so probably won't be able to shoot straight," he added.

I looked at him properly, reading him. I knew it took a lot for him to admit such a weakness and that he done it to prove how serious he was.

"Ok," I said, now carefully transferring Ryan's weight to Shane.

Ryan moaned slightly and his fevered eyes met mine. Yet, even though he seemed very out of it, I got the feeling he agreed with Shane and believed I'd done the right thing. So with me brandishing the shotgun, while the rifle was strapped to me, I marched out the hole through the curtain of dust followed by Annie, and then Susan and lastly Shane with Ryan. I opened my senses and was surprised by the response I got. It felt like I had full use of them, rather then them being on half power.

We crossed the north lawn quietly and as quickly as we could manage with one of our party being wounded. The bodies of the animals had disappeared, being replaced instead by their human forms. I averted my eyes from them and concentrated on the tree line preying we met no threat. As we reached them I found I didn't feel any less exposed. After all, we weren't dealing with ordinary people, Rogues, even though cut off from advantages, still had heightened senses that worked at half power. I led my group through the trees and down a slope with it getting darker all the time. We were slower then I hoped, but the terrain wasn't easy. Finally we made it onto an earthen path and I began to use my photographic memory to retrace my steps. Five minutes on I stopped, sensing something. I tried to get a feeling for what it was and then indicating for others to continue on the path, I headed up the embankment. Shane continued slowly, he and the rest of the group had hardly got a two yards further when a low growl came to his ears. Balancing Ryan, he tried to get his gun in a decent position.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," said a voice to his left.

"Who's there?" asked Shane, trying to sound tough.

"I'm the one asking the questions," replied the voice and they all heard a gun cock.

The growling became clearer and from the gloom of the shadows, appeared a dog. Its hackles raised and lips curled back in a snarl. Annie stared at the dog.

"Now tell me what you're doing here," said the voice getting nearer.

"Jacob?" said Annie suddenly.

"Annie?" said the voice now.

From beneath the shadows of the trees, Jacob appeared brandishing his gun.

"What are you doing with these people?" he asked, giving her a confused look.

"They're guests of my hotel, well all but him," she said, indicating to Ryan.

Kevin came closer, sniffing the air. His gaze turned to Ryan and he growled slightly.

"He's one of them, let me put him out his misery while he's weak," said Jacob, raising his gun.

"No," said Shane, his anger rising. "He's our friend, he saved us,"

"He's not your friend, he's just posing as him," said Jacob, anger in his tone too.

"No, he's not using a mirage," I said, now appearing further up the path behind Jacob and Kevin.

Jacob spun around and paused lowering his gun.

"What did you say, lass?" he asked, giving me an odd look.

"I said Ryan isn't using a mirage, he's himself," I explained calmly.

Kevin wagged his tail and trotted up to me.

"Hey, lovely," I said, patting him. "No Ryan's with me, he's my friend,"

"Oh," said Jacob with a sigh. "Sorry, I just thought he might, well, you know,"

"Yes, you seem to know more about us then I originally thought," I said with a sly smile as I approached the group.

"As I said, I've seen your kind before," he said, tipping his hat to me. "Still, what are you all doing out here at this time?"

"The hotel's been destroyed and attacked, people are in danger," I started to explain. "I'm trying to take these people to somewhere safe as, with the phone lines down, there's currently no way off the island and well, that's where I was hoping you could help me,"

"Oh…so that's what they're up to," he said slowly. "I should have guessed,"

I glanced at him; this man was slightly odd and mysterious. I put aside the funny feeling I felt, noting to myself to review it later and continued.

"I don't mean to put pressure on you, but I need to know these people are safe before I can go help the rest," I said with a sigh. "I'm sorry,"

"No, it's fine, come with me," he said, giving me a smile.

"It was just that your place is surrounded by a fence and I thought it would be safer to sleep there tonight," I finished as we now continued down the path.

"You thought right, I'm glad to help," he said, whistling to Kevin.

The dog trotted along side us as we made our way to Jacob's house. As the cabin surrounded by a fence finally appeared, I felt genuinely relieved. At least here we had a better chance at defending ourselves. Once through the gate, I lowered my gun and made to help Shane with a barely conscious Ryan up the stairs and into the house. Jacob passed the three of us, making for one of the three doors that led off the main room. He opened it and beckoned us to follow him in, which we did. It was a small bedroom with a double bed, a chest of draws, a nightstand with a lamp on top and a fireplace. We laid Ryan on the bed and then Jacob left with Shane, who gave me a look and nod that told me he'd only be in the other room. I swept Ryan's hair from his damp sweaty brow.

"Ryan? Babe? I need you to wake up," I said to him, even though his eyes were slightly open. "I…I need you,"

He made no response for a moment and then his eyes flickered.

"Rebecca?" he said, I could just make out the concern in his voice. "Rebecca, what's wrong?"

"I have to go and help the others, they're out there all alone and they're in danger," I explained quietly, as I tried to look anywhere but his now pretty much awake eyes.

"It's not safe, I know they're your Saves, but there are Rogues everywhere," he said seriously. "You know I can't let you go out there alone,"

"I don't have a choice, Ryan," I continued slowly. "I can't let them suffer,"

"You're no use to them dead," he replied and I tried and failed to hide a thought that came to mind. "Rebecca?"

He tried to move to get a better position so he could read my features, but stopped, wincing in pain.

"Don't worry," I soothed in a calming tone. "I'll be careful, but I need you to rest and regain your strength. I need you to keep Shane and the other's safe,"

He stared at me harder as he didn't dare try moving again.

"I don't like it," he said finally through gritted teeth. "And I can tell you now neither will Shane!"

"I can deal with him," I assured him with a smile. "He's a pussy cat really,"

He half laughed and winced again.

"From what I've seen, I doubt it," he said with a small smile.

"Hmm, it'll be ok," I said with a sigh. "I need you to promise though, that you'll rest and regain at least some of your strength before even thinking of tearing after me,"

"You want me to promise?" he said, incredulously.

"Look, I need to know you're safe as well as the others," I explained, frustration and worry in my tone. "And if that means I have to make you promise, because I know you don't break them, then I have no choice but to make you promise me,"

"Sometimes, I think the fact you…" he started, but stopped as pain flooded his senses.

"Ryan?" I started, but a wave of his hand stopped me.

"No…the fact you know me so well is my downfall," he finally finished, forcing the words from his mouth.

"It's only cause I care," I said quietly.

"I know," he said, pulling me closer. "Just you promise me you won't take any risks,"

"I'm always as careful as I can be," I said, caressing his cheek.

"Hmm," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"So, what about you?" I said, looking at him seriously.

He sighed.

"Ok, I promise I will rest and regain some strength before I come to rescue you," he said, begrudgingly. "Even if it does go against every fibre of my being!"

"Thank you love," I said, leaning forward and kissing him on his forehead. "Now get some rest,"

I took out the pain killer and proffered it to him. He looked at me, but accepted a little. I left him to sleep and headed back into the room. Shane was stood leaning on the back of one of the wooden chairs belonging to the table, while Susan and Annie were sat on the sofa. Jacob stood in the little kitchen making cups of tea and Kevin, I found, was sat outside the bedroom door. I patted him as I exited, shutting the door to behind me, and made my way over to the table and Shane.

"How's your friend doing?" asked Jacob as he turned from the kitchen carrying a tray of mugs.

"Ok, for now," I replied quietly. "He's weak, but the sleep will do him good,"

"I see, so I assume you have a plan of action," he continued, proffering mugs to Annie and Susan.

"Um, it's still in the development stages," I replied as Shane's eyes searched my face.

"More like the post production stage if you ask me," he said with an edge to his voice. "I'm not gonna like it am I?"

I looked at him. He shook his head.

"How are ya gonna get yaself killed this time?" he snapped, tightening his grip on the chair back.

"Oh come on, Shane," I said, folding my arms and giving him a look. "You know as well as I do that what must be done must be done. There is no choice in the matter, no other option to take, no get out of jail free card available. Sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns and give it what for!"

"But you don't have to do it alone!" he retorted. "You have always been the lone vigilante, off to reap your own kind of justice,"

"Sometimes that's just the way it is!" I snapped back. "I am a Death Jumper and I have duties to perform! It's not like I can sit back and do nothing, cause if I do then it's not some error on a report or a mistake in code, no, if I fuck up then someone dies!"

"I know this!" snapped Shane, his voice full of anger. "But, it doesn't make you the female version of that English spy…"

"I think you mean James Bond," suggested Jacob with a shrug.

"Yeah him, Bond who acts like a Swell all the time," continued Shane with a nod of thanks in Jacob's direction. "You don't have to do this alone,"

I saw Jacob glance at Annie and Susan, obviously not understanding what 'Swell' meant.

"Well, personally, I don't think Bond can really be called a Swell…" I started slowly.

"It's not the point!" snapped Shane, though he'd spotted that I was just joking with him. "You should know that there are people who care about you just as much as you care for them and like you, they worry when you take risks,"

"You sound like you've been talking to Ryan," I said, now glancing at the door.

"Well he's right and I think I'd be right in saying, if he were in a state to be in this room right now he'd be backing up my every word," said Shane, a little more calmly.

"Well, pretty much, except maybe the thing about Bond," I said, a slight smirk on my face. "He's pretty partial to Bond,"

Shane rolled his eyes.

"But, he'd also know that what I'm planning is right and, however begrudgingly it was, he'd agree with me in the end," I said, coming towards Shane.

I could see the pain in his features, he really didn't want me to do whatever he believed I was going to do and yet, he knew I had to.

"Well, whatever you do, you better ensure I don't see you leave cause I won't be responsible for my actions," he muttered looking me in the eyes. "And just stay safe…"

I could tell, like Ryan, it was going against every fibre of his being.

"I will do my best and you must look after these guys too," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder and pulling him close. "I can't be worrying about them, so you need to protect them for me,"

"I will," he said, then he glanced down and back up at me. "You think Jimmy is ok?"

"I hope so, Shane," I said, glancing towards the front door. "I hope so,"

* * *

Jimmy didn't know if he was ok, all he did know was it was dark and he was cold. He was very slowly beginning to come up, up from the dark depths of unconsciousness that he fallen into. Yet something didn't feel right, he now noticed he couldn't feel his legs…no that wasn't it, it was his legs couldn't feel anything. His mind was foggy, he felt like he was floating on air. He tried to remember what had come before his current situation. He remembered an explosion and running, roaring sounds and people screaming. Then fear, blind panic and stumbling and crashing to the ground…teeth, he remembered the teeth and…Abby. Yet, as things slowly came back to him, a new feeling replaced the weightless one…pain. Burning pain, his shoulders were aching and his wrists burned too, but that was not all. His right ankle throbbed with an intensity, that he could have been forgiven for thinking it was about to drop off and fall away into the seemingly empty space below him. The thing that worried him most though, was the blackness that he could see, it was so intense that his mind, as cloudy as it was, told him it could not be normal night time darkness…was he blind? He couldn't be sure. He took a breath in an attempt to quell his fear, he'd heard of bumps on the head occasionally rendering people blind, but surely this couldn't have happened to him. He tried to blink, to open them and slowly but surely, small cracks of light started to appear to his relief. He wasn't totally blind, but with the light and the fuzzy image of his location, came more pain in the form of a blinder of a head ache causing him to shut his eyes once more. The wind whistled for a moment and he could have sworn he heard someone call his name. He attempted to turn his head to the right to try and listen, but that hurt too, and yet it did achieve something, for he found his own right arm in the way of the full movement of the turn. It could only mean one thing, his arms were most likely tied above his head. That explained the aching shoulders and the burning wrists. His simple effort of moving his neck though, had made him suddenly weary and he put it down to the likelihood he had a reasonably bad concussion. He was just starting to feel the tug of unconsciousness when he heard the voice again. This time he was sure it was a voice.

"Jimmy?" it called to him.

He tried to respond, for somewhere in his head he knew the voice, but he really was too tired to really make much effort. The voice was starting to fade, becoming more muffled. Or perhaps it was the fact he was beginning to give in to the warm darkness once more. His head slowly sank back roughly onto his chest as he slipped back into unconsciousness and the voice was lost on the wind.

* * *

I sat at the table with my cup of tea cradled in my hands. I stared at a whorl in the wood and followed the lines that led from it, until they faded into oblivion. Jacob had given his double bed to the two women and offered Shane the couch, but Shane had replied he'd be fine with the arm chair. I'm sure they would have offered me the couch and I probably would have shaken my head and bunked in with Ryan, but they both seemed to know without question I wouldn't need a bed, not tonight at least. I was planning on leaving when they were all asleep. So here I was, waiting for that to occur. Susan and Annie had long since gone to bed and Shane had settled himself in the chair. Jacob sat reclined back on the sofa reading and, I suspected, secretly watching me from behind that book. I sighed and glanced over at Shane. He was slumped slightly at an angle, arms folded and his head leant back against the chair.

"Still here," he mumbled without opening his eyes. "An' you know, watching me ain't gonna make me go to sleep any faster,"

Jacob looked up from his book.

"I think she knew, perfectly well, you were still with us," said Jacob with a sly smile. "She can tell a lot about you from just looking at ya,"

Shane's eyes drifted open slightly.

"I worked that out a while ago," he replied quietly. "It often feels like she's actually in your mind, reading your thoughts,"

"You know something, I'm still here as well you know!" I said, rolling my eyes and shaking my head.

"Mmhmm, we know," replied Shane with a soft smirk.

His eyes were closed again.

"Well, I'm going to get some shut eye now, so you young things can do what ya like," replied Jacob, putting his book down.

"Oh ok," I said, now bringing my cup to my lips.

He left and a silence filled the room.

"You're not planning on going to sleep, are you?" I queried without looking at Shane.

"Whatever made you think that?" he asked quietly.

"The fact that you're not asleep," I replied with a sigh.

He half laughed.

"Well, in most cases you'd be right, but not tonight," he said, slowly leaning forward and rubbing his temples.

I looked at him now, studying him.

"You're doing it again," he said without changing his position.

"What? Oh, um sorry," I said, taking another swig of tea.

"No, I actually find it sorta comforting…" he started, but stopped.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"No, I mean, well um…" he stumbled over the words.

I rose from my chair and crouched down in front of him, placing my hands on his knees.

"I think I know what you mean," I said, giving him a smile.

His eyes met mine, they showed he was clearly tired, but more then anything I could see actual fear. That was scarier then facing any Rogue, for here was a man who'd faced down Wakefield and whether or not he'd really been afraid, he'd never let it on. I raised a hand to his face, caressed his cheek and then smiled at him. He gave me a hint of a smile, before his eyes started to move down as if he felt ashamed he'd let his guard down. They stopped however on my necklace.

"I can't believe you still have that," he said, leaning back now.

I glanced down at it.

"Of course, I love it," I said, squeezing his knee. "A very dear friend of mine gave me it,"

"He must be silly in the head then," he replied softly.

"You think so?" I said, sounding a little confused.

"Yep, cause for someone who clearly cares about you, he's about to let you go gallivanting off on a suicidal mission!" he replied in a matter of fact manner.

I smiled, watching him. He sighed and relaxed, allowing his eyes to shut.

"Go," he whispered.

I slowly got up and kissed him gently on the forehead. I then stood back a little, giving him a last glance over.

"A very dear friend indeed," I said quietly, more to myself then anyone else.

I then finished my tea and after scratching Kevin's head, I left quietly. I stood on the porch for a few moments, before starting down the steps. The door opened behind me and I sighed half expecting Shane to have suddenly changed his mind, but it was Jacob. He jingled the gate keys lightly in front of me and I smiled. We walked in silence over to the gate and after checking around to ensure that we had no other company, he opened it and allowed me out. I waited till he'd shut it before I looked at him. Our eyes met and in the silence that floated between us, we acknowledged more then could ever be gained through words. His look to say 'be careful' and mine to say 'look after them'. Then, with a touch of his cap, he headed back towards the cabin, while I turned to face the darkness. I took a deep breath and moved off into the shadows of the trees.

* * *

As the sun rose, it found Chloe and Cal huddled in some bushes between two trees. Chloe was asleep, her head resting on Cal's chest. He had an arm protectively round her, while he supported himself against a tree. His eyes searched the trees as they appeared more clearly in the growing morning light. They were situated on the edge of a path and before them was the embankment they had come crashing down in their desperate escape from the hotel. Cal was nervous, he shook his head at himself as, for what had to be the thirtieth time, he jumped at a snapping twig. However, this time, it was different, it was accompanied by a low growl. He shook Chloe awake, but placed a hand gently over her mouth, causing her to look up at him with worried questioning eyes. They were answered however, as she too now heard the sound. They moved now quickly and carefully, crouching low, along the edge of the path until, due to a glacial boulder, they had to move up onto the path. Chloe, however, stopped and turned, Cal, who had been following her, turned too. There, stood on the path, with what could have almost been described as a smirk on it face stood a lioness. Her mouth was open slightly, showing her large canines which were perfectly capable of crushing any part of their prey they could get hold of. Cal pushed Chloe behind him as they began to edge backwards away from the large cat. Yet, the cat didn't let them get far.

"Run!" yelled Cal, pushing Chloe forward as they turned and fled from the cat.

The lioness easily closed the distance, her front paw coming up to catch Cal's legs. It hit its target, claws cutting through clothes and flesh, and brought him crashing to the floor. He rolled and desperately tried to kick it off as it parried his kicks with its teeth and claws.

"Cal!" screamed Chloe as she looked on desperately at her husband's attempts to save himself.

Then something in her snapped, hell she was not about to lose him again. Her eyes scanned the area and stopped on a large branch. Without another moment's thought, she grabbed it and charged the cat. She swung it and it collided with the cat's lower jaw. The cat fell back stunned and Chloe grabbed Cal, pulling him up and away. He limped and she tried to support him, but it wasn't easy. They made it a little way up the path before Cal insisted he had to rest, it was more he could see Chloe was flagging.

"We have to keep going," said Chloe, looking around.

"No, you have to go," said Cal, gripping his leg. "I'll only slow us down,"

"Don't you dare think I'm leaving you!" she said in a tone that said she wasn't going to argue this.

"But…" he tried.

"No," she interjected.

A growl came from behind her. She turned, ready to face the threat together with her husband. They faced it, Chloe helping Cal stand to his unsteady feat. The lion readied herself, crouching low and needing the soil beneath her paws.

"I love you," said Cal, risking a last look at his wife.

"I love you too," she said, caressing Cal's face.

She kissed him and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the cat move. Yet the pain and ripping never came. Instead it was replaced by a rushing, sliding sound and roaring yelp, followed by a fluwhump sound, snapping saplings and the cracking of bark. Chloe and Cal's eyes now both focused on the scene before them, that of the lioness rolling around with another cat. They stared as the two separated and now stood facing each other on the path.

"It's…it's a tiger," said Chloe, unable to tear her eyes away.

The tiger, whose back was to Chloe and Cal, growled, it's lips curled back and it's teeth bared. The lioness's eyes bored into the tiger's and widened just ever so slightly. Then they flew at each other tearing, ripping. The lioness faked left and swung right, barrelling into the tiger's side and catching it off balance. She then kicked off a tree and made another attempt to reach Chloe and Cal, only to have the tiger land on her back haunches and sink its teeth in to her back. She snarled and rolled her body, smashing the tiger into the side of the embankment. They struggled and she finally dislodged the tiger, sending it rolling off the path and into the trees. Yet, the tiger was up and running, flying round a tree, losing no speed whatsoever, and racing back towards the lion. The lioness stood, attempting to regain her breath and work out where the tiger would appear. The sound got closer and everyone seemed to hold their breath.

Whooosh!

The tiger exploded out of a rhododendron bush and collided with the lioness. They crashed to the floor, the tiger's jaws locked on the lioness's throat and with a sharp, awkward twist, the fight ended. The tiger then half dragged, half threw the body of the lioness from the path, before turning to Cal and Chloe. Its golden amber eyes met Cal's hazel ones and Chloe's brown ones as it looked between them and finally chose to focus on Cal. Cal stared at the creature before him and for the slightest moment, he had an odd feeling about the tiger. However, the moment was broken by a new sound.

"Cal, Chloe! Hold on you guys!" yelled a voice belonging to a blonde guy who, having crested the top of the embankment to Cal's right, was now descending it at rapid rate.

He was not alone, however, as a dark skinned man followed close behind. Chloe and Cal knew them both at once.

"Sully, Danny, be careful," called Chloe, glancing between them and the tiger that still stood on the path.

The tiger, however, was watching the decent of the two men with avid interest, but it didn't look as if it planned to move. Yet, having seen who the voice belonged to, Cal had taken to watching the tiger once more, unsure about its motives. Sully came to an abrupt halt near the bottom of the embankment, his gun raised at the tiger, who was looking right at him. It was to their right, while Chloe and Cal were to their left. He cocked the hammer back and Danny followed suit. The tiger remained still. Sully prepared to fire.

"Wait!" cried Cal suddenly, his eyes never leaving the tiger.

"Cal?" questioned Chloe curiously.

"Don't shoot," he said as the tiger gave him a glance.

Then it shivered, its nose twitched and it swung its head to Sully and Danny. Then its lips curled back and it snarled. It changed position ever so slightly. They raised their guns.

"Don't! I think its…" yelled Cal.

Boom!

A single gun went off and the blast hit the tiger full in the chest, at close range, propelling it backwards. It crashed onto the path and came to an abrupt stop, due to a tree. Chloe gasped and Sully swung round and stared at Danny.

"Danny! What the hell man?" he said, his face showing a look of confusion.

"It was gonna attack," reasoned Danny with a look.

"But Cal said…" started Sully, turning to Cal and pausing.

He looked at what Cal was watching. The tiger, its front covered in blood, was attempting to get to it's feet, though it collapsed back down again, the effort seeming to much for it.

"I was going to say…well, because these things...they seem to be both people and animal," he said, trying to phrase it right.

"So?" questioned Sully.

"I'm…I'm not sure, but in theory couldn't one be, well, Rebecca?" he said slowly.

Danny and Sully glanced at each other and Danny half laughed.

"That's ridiculous," said Sully with a shake of his head.

"I'm not so sure," said Cal slowly.

"What if Cal's right, I mean that tiger did seem to be protecting us," added Chloe, giving Cal a smile.

"But then, why'd it try and go…" Sully started, but stopped at Chloe's expression.

She was looking more or less in his direction. Cal, who'd been watching the tiger, turned and stared at Sully too.

"What? You're looking at me as if I've grown another head or something?" said Sully, sounding a little annoyed.

Cal tried to indicate something, but he needn't have tried, for the sound of a gun cocking was all it required for him to get the picture. He turned in slow horror to find a shotgun pointed at his face by none other then his best friend. This couldn't be happening, not again, why, this had to be a mistake.

"Danny?" he questioned slowly, his hands coming up automatically. "What're you doing?"

"I should have done this a long time ago," he said with an odd smile. "Would have made some things much easier,"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sully, his foot starting to go back.

"Put down the gun, Danny!" said Chloe, trying to sound less scared then she was.

He ignored her.

"Put it down," said Cal, trying to not increase the tension.

But Danny didn't waver, not even for a moment.

"Goodbye, Christopher Sullivan," he said as calmly as if this was just something he did everyday.

BOOM!

* * *

Well, how about that...anyone see that coming? Anyone at all? I hope you enjoyed it. I will attempt to get the next one up as fast as I can but it's a case of finding the time to write. Anyways if you could spare a moment to click that review button *Puppy Dog Eyes* then I'd be very happy. You know reviews encourage me to write faster! :P


	12. Chapter 12 Price of Sacrifice

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything or anyone from Harper's Island, or anything you might recognise from the show. Neither do I own anything from Harper's Globe, or any other shows, or films, or songs, or products, I may make references to. I do however own Rebecca Jacobs and the idea of Death Jumping and all things related to Death Jumping.

Hey all, Thanks to January Raines and Neon Jack for your wonderful reviews, they make me so happy. **To Neon Jack** I'm happy you liked the twist and as to a happy ending well we will just have to wait and see. I hope you don't require to many packs of hankies. If you are still reading, enjoy. **To January Raines** I'm sorry I have taken soooooooooooooo long. As to who may die...we will have to wait and see. I had a good Christmas and New Year and I hope if you are still reading that you will enjoy this chapter.

Right, apologies for taken a terrible amount of time to update. Especially after the ending I left you all with. Life is hectic and many things have got in the way of this story and so although I had a lot of this chap done, completing it took longer. Anyway I am trying to get it done and I don't think it will be as long as the last but we shall see. I'm not entirely happy with a few parts of this chapter but I will be glad to know what you think.

So on with the story...and here is the unusual warning of some possible bad language, violence and injuries just so you know. I hope all who read enjoy this chap and hopefully maybe leave a review...it makes me very happy and encourages faster typing of chapters...without further ado, Enjoy!

* * *

**_Chapter twelve-Price of Sacrifice _**

Sully hit the ground. He was dead, he had to be. The gun had gone off in his face. His world was entirely silent, a horrible deathly silence. Yet part of him wondered, wondered why, that if he was dead as reason told him he should be, why then it had been painless. It was instant death logic reasoned, of course it wouldn't hurt and yet still part of him argued the opposite, that with death came pain. His mind argued back and fourth and it wasn't helped by the loud ringing in his ears. Wait a minute, he thought…ringing in my ears, how had he not heard it before then, when had that started? How can that be he thought…in fact, how am I even thinking.

* * *

"Sully!" screamed Chloe.

She ran to his prone form on the ground, Cal following behind more slowly. She dropped to his side and shook him desperately trying to illicit some response.

"Sully? Sully, come on, wake up," she cried as Cal joined her at his side.

* * *

Sully could hear something else now, something other then the constant ringing. The sound seemed far away, like he was at the bottom of a vast ocean and someone was calling to him from the surface. That sound, he knew it was a voice, he could go as far to say he knew the voice. Yes, he knew that voice and he tried to listen to it. Tried to swim up to the surface of that ocean where they were.

* * *

"Sully!" tried Chloe again. "Why doesn't he respond, Cal?"

"Shock maybe, though he did hit the ground quite hard," started Cal, though he found it hard to think of a reason with all the stress and pain he was experiencing. "Wait, here we go,"

Sully's eyes opened and his body jerked as he tried to get up too quickly due to the sudden fear he felt.

"Easy," said Cal, pushing him down with his hands. "Not too quickly,"

"Da…Danny?" questioned Sully stumbling over the words.

The three turned now to the scene occurring further down the path.

* * *

"Goodbye, Christopher Sullivan," Danny had said as his finger made to pull the trigger, but it hadn't gone down like he planned.

For just as he started to squeeze it pain erupted from his shoulder, blood spraying the side of his neck, ear and lower part of his cheek, and a great weight from behind pulled him backwards so that he overbalanced. He lost aim and all control as he fell backwards, meaning he squeezed the trigger and the shot fired wildly into the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled down the path fighting against the thing who, having relinquished its grip on his shoulder, was searching for a better place to take hold. He struggled, wrestling the thing and then finally he managed to kick it off. Having released himself, he rolled up on to his haunches and, supporting himself on one hand, dared to raise his head to his attacker.

"Clever, very clever," he said spitting out mud and blood from his mouth. "I got a bit ahead of myself, I'll admit."

The tiger stood in the path, panting ever so slightly. Its chest had a bloody hole in it and blood ran, leaving trails through the tiger's fur on its legs, as well as dripped from the wound. There was also blood all over its mouth and chin from where it had sunk its great canines into Danny's shoulder.

"You know, I should have expected that from you…" he was cut off by a wave of pain that emanated though his body.

He snarled and spat more blood. He took a breath and then, as more pain racked his body, he sank to his hands and knees.

"Danny?" queried the worried voice of Sully from where he lay surrounded by Cal and Chloe.

Danny let out a pained laugh.

"The fool still doesn't get it does he?" he spat, still staring at the ground. "Not too bright that one,"

Sully got to his feet, the three then started to edge a little closer, yet they stopped dead at growl from the tiger.

"Oh…wait, this is…they don't know do they? Don't know much at all," he laughed.

Then his body shimmered, distorting and finally Danny was no more. Instead, he had been replaced by another man. He was white for a start, with dark, almost shoulder length hair, which was quite straggly. This man rose back up into a crouching position and looked up, his eyes meeting the tigers. The man's were hazel in colour and he had a slight beard. He wasn't bad looking at all, except that his handsome face bore a cruel smile and his eyes were full of hatred. His clothes had changed too, for instead of the red t-shirt Danny had been wearing it was now replaced with a dark blue one and a black leather jacket.

"You know me now, don't ya," he said, his eyes taking a risk to glance around the area. "Long time no see an' all, have you missed me?"

The tiger growled again, its lips curling back.

"Ahh, yes, well, you see, the thing is," he said, his eyes narrowing and the nasty grin widening. "I don't have time to play catch up…so why not make this easier. How about you…just lay down and die!"

He snarled and his image shimmered once again, this time into a big black wolf. Its dark gold eyes burned with the same intense fury and it limped a little from the still gaping wound in its right shoulder. The man had become the wolf. It was at that moment that something clicked in Sully's memories.

"It's the same one from outside the church," he murmured slowly.

The black wolf snarled and the three could have sworn he rolled his eyes in Sully's direction. The tiger let out a strange grunt as the wolf prepared to spring. Cal's brow furrowed and he looked at the creature. Then the wolf charged, the tiger watched it for a mere moment before intercepting it in a clash of fur and teeth. Just as the tiger had sprang, it had repeated the same grunting sound, only louder. The others were backing away.

"Cal? Is it me or did it sound like that tiger said something?" asked Chloe nervously.

"Oh good, I'm not the only one who heard a sort of word in that sound," said Cal with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, I think it said 'Unn'," said Sully with a shrug. "Come on guys, it's just making noises like all animals do,"

"'Unn' you say, well maybe that means something," said Cal slowly. "I'm sure it did say something,"

"Ok, let's say it did, let's say it's a friend to us," said Sully now with a sigh. "What's 'Unn' meant to signify?"

The creatures were crashing and rolling about, and they came so close at one point that Chloe and Sully had to leap out the way. Then the wolf leapt on the tiger's side, but the tiger grabbed its tail and it let go only to be full on smacked by the tiger's paw and sent flying. The tiger then took the slight moment to focus on the three staring at the fight.

"RUUNNN!" it roared and that's when it clicked.

They ran. Whether it was due to fear or the fact they had finally understood the tiger's meaning, they ran. It was at this same point the tiger was barrelled into by the wolf and sent sprawling. The wolf then leapt at a spot further up the path and transformed back to the man as it did. His fingers locked round the shotgun, where it had fallen, and he then proceeded to aim after the fleeing people. He aimed as the tiger, in a desperate attempt to stop him, had sunk its fangs into his leg and pulled the trigger, but he had no time to check if his shot had done anything as he now rolled back into his wolf form and the fight continued.

* * *

Richard made a sign with his hand indicating to the others who were with him to stop. He'd heard a sound, correction he could hear sounds. Something or someone was crashing through the bushes further up to his left. He readied the gun and made his way forward beckoning the people behind him to follow. The path inclined upwards and led out into a clearing. He paused again and using the bushes as cover he prepared to shoot. He glanced behind to his right and his eyes met the bright blue ones of JD, who was also ready with his gun. He nodded to him and then turned back to the clearing and focused. The sound got nearer and nearer, Richard prepared to fire. Suddenly three people came crashing and tumbling out of the bushes.

"Hold your fire!" called Richard urgently.

The three stumbled to their feet, their arms automatically raised, but they relaxed when they saw who it was.

"Chloe, Cal, Sully, are you guys alright?" asked Richard now, looking them over.

"Not bad," said Chloe, glancing between her husband and Sully.

"Could be better I guess," said Cal between breaths.

"Mmm…yeah," groaned Sully, his voice sounding pained.

"What were you running from?" asked Kelly, looking at the three.

Chloe glanced at Sully who was looking pale; he was obviously still in shock over Danny not being Danny. She felt Cal's hand take hers and squeeze.

"One of those things, the same one we saw at the church…" said Chloe slowly.

"How can you be sure?" asked JD, coming up with Booth, Brent and Simon following behind.

"He told us as much," said Cal quietly.

"He, what do you…?" question Booth nervously.

Cal shook his head, his eyes indicating to Sully, and Booth stopped speaking.

"They should know..." mumbled Sully, stumbling slightly.

"Sully?" questioned Chloe, noticing the pain on his face.

He then, at that moment, dropped to one knee as his left leg gave way. Cal moved quickly to his side and realised he'd been shot.

"When?" asked Cal, looking Sully in the eyes.

"When we ran," he mumbled quietly.

"That shot…it hit you?" said Chloe, her eyes full of worry. "Why didn't you say?"

"It didn't hurt really, I guess it was the adrenaline," replied Sully with a slight moan.

"I need to stop the bleeding," said Cal, his medical training kicking in.

"Here is not the best place to be doing such things," said Brent, looking around. "We're exposed here,"

"I'm just gonna apply a quick tourniquet to it, ok," said Cal authoritatively. "It'll take a few seconds, no arguments!"

No one was going to argue with the Englishman, the main reason being even though he wasn't the only one present with medical knowledge - for Simon was a paramedic - he was the one with more medical authority, but they all agreed with Brent. Cal did too, but he knew it wasn't safe to leave the wound unattended. Yet unbeknown to them, they were being watched. A pair of almond coloured eyes watched the people, waiting for its moment. When Cal had finished, he allowed JD to help Sully get to his feet. The creature now made its move, bounding down from the rocks and landing in the clearing. Yet it didn't stop, its charge continued for the nearest target. Cal pushed Chloe out the way, but Sully grabbed Cal; the two toppling over backwards meaning the creature, which in fact was a leopard, missed all together. It swerved, its back legs propelling it off a tree and charged again. Richard fired and the cat dodged; swinging left, then right and slashed at Richard catching the gun and ripping it from his hands. The cat sprang away and round the clearing to get a better position. It focused on Kelly, seeing her as an easy target.

"Hey you, ugly!" yelled JD at the cat. "Come and get me,"

The cat glanced his way and appeared to roll its eyes, before deciding to ignore him and charge. Sully and Cal had taken that chance to make a move for Kelly, but Chloe had got there first. However, now neither of the two woman seemed to know which way to turn as the cat closed the distance. It felt like it occurred in slow mo almost as the leopard sprang, claws extended, towards them, but the connection was never made as someone charged from the bushes - the same direction Chloe, Cal and Sully had come from - and collided with the beast. They crashed to the floor in a tangled mess of limbs and fur both still moving; attempting to get a purchase from which they could each defend themselves. They kicked and scrabbled until they rolled away from each other. The leopard was back on four feet and now altered it's tactics to deal with this new threat. The man, for a man he was, got to his feet and drew his hunting knife in one fluid movement. They launched themselves at each other once more, knife connecting with side, jaws connecting with shoulder and blood mixing with sweat and dirt. Each struggling to get the upper hand in the ultimate tussle for life. The man kicked the leopard, sending it flying, but it barely seemed fazed as no sooner had it hit solid ground it was, quick as a flash, on him again. Tearing at his flesh while he stabbed it wildly. Then in dodging one attack he caught a blow from another; the knife slipped from his fingers and he fell to the floor winded. The leopard saw its chance and took it, springing forward. The man rolled across the ground with the cat chasing him in an attempt to get a purchase that would end the fight. The hunting knife was almost in his grasp, when the leopard made a bounding leap and managed to sink its jaws into his right side. Pain exploded through the man's body, a white hot blinding pain, as the cat, now having got a hold, began to violently twist its head repeatedly from left to right and back, as if it was trying to tear a chunk out of him. He yelled in pain, but the adrenaline in his system was increasing and he lashed out at the leopard managing to clock it squarely in jaw with his right fist. It yowled and let go, but it still removed a small part of him as it did. He could feel the warm blood spreading, but it wasn't over. The stunned cat shook its head a couple of times, he assumed it was trying to clear its vision, and now was his chance to get the knife back. He was lying on his back and ignoring the pain he reached with his right hand for the knife, his finger tips brushing the hilt. The cat snarled and now it was coming for him. He reached, accessing what remained of his strength, as the beast leapt. It landed above him, it's front paws either side of his head and its lips curled back showing its shining teeth. They descended for him just as he finally got a firm grip on the knife and brought it in a sweeping ark, driving the blade straight into the back of the creatures neck. The leopards pupils widened before losing their shine and it dropped like a stone, collapsing on to him, quite dead. The man's arm then dropped to the floor as he let out a few pained breaths. He half kicked, half shoved the body off him and proceeded to at least get to his knees. It was only when he achieved this, that he actually looked up and met the eyes of the onlookers.

"Shane?" queried Kelly staring at the sweaty, bloody and dirty man knelt before them.

"Hey," came his simple breathless reply.

No one knew quite what to say and all stood in shocked silence, but it didn't last long. Their relief was short lived as no sooner were they rid of one killer another turned up in the shape of the large golden eyed black wolf. He bounded lightly down from the sort of embankment that surrounded the clearing, again coming from the right as all the rest had done. Though he was bloody and missing large patches of fur, he didn't appear to be hindered in anyway. He observed the clearing; taking in the positions of all the people and the dead body of one of his compatriots. Then letting out a growl to announce his presence, he set about choosing his first target .

"You," said Sully staring at the wolf.

The wolf sighed and gave a him a look of 'and who else would it be'. They looked nervously at the large wolf and he relished every second of fear. Shane was currently nearest to the wolf, but he was still out of breath and not about to fight another creature. The wolf could sense he was the weaker then the rest at that point, but he was not the true target he desired.

"You know that wolf?" asked Booth, his hands shaking with stress.

"It's the one from before," said Chloe not taking her eyes from it.

"It's the one we were running from and it was also outside the church," explained Cal quietly.

"It's Danny," growled Sully, anger in his tone.

All eyes turned to him except for Cal who remained watching the wolf and Shane who was currently staring at the floor.

"Did…did you say…Danny?" said Booth, stumbling over his words.

"It can't be," said Richard, shaking his head.

"Who's Danny?" asked Simon not following at all.

"Their friend," answered JD simply.

"Oh, I'm sorry-" started Simon slowly.

"Don't be!" snapped Sully, taking a sharp breath. "We've been betrayed before,"

"But Sully, you're forgetting he was someone else too," said Cal, looking him in the eyes. "That other man,"

"It still feels like he betrayed me," responded Sully, hurt in his voice.

"Uh, guys, I don't think now is the time for this conversation," warned Brent as he spotted the wolf move.

The wolf feigned a springing motion, revelling at how he could make then jump and squirm. Then he let out the strangest noise they had ever heard, a sort of snarling, kackkackering sound that seemed to be him attempting to laugh. The wolf's vocal cords appeared not to be used to the sound.

"Not Danny, Dickhead!" the wolf spat, the words rough and harsh.

They all stared not sure how to respond to a talking wolf. He rolled his eyes, he'd had enough.

"Let's make this easy," he said, a sort of smile appearing on the wolf's lips. "Die and you don't have to worry about it,"

He began to charge, and as he did, another moved too. There was a large boulder at the far end of the clearing, made of some hard, light grey rock. The other charged up it, using it as a platform, and sprung, soaring over the wolf and landing before it, blocking it's path. The wolf slid to a halt and smirked at the other.

"I thought you'd never show up," he laughed, cocking his head slightly.

Chloe, Cal and Sully stared at the familiar form of the tiger though it looked worse for wears; its fur having become significantly darker, dyed by the blood. It growled at the wolf and half lunged making him back up. The tiger was stood between Shane and the wolf, side on, with its front lowered and head turned to the large black lupine. It's lips curled back and teeth bared. His fur bristled, but the confidence came back. His own hackles raised, accepting the challenge. He now began to pace, assessing his options. Just because the tiger looked awful didn't stop it from being a difficult opponent.

"You know," he started, still pacing. "For a long time I wanted to test myself against you,"

The tiger watched him.

"I thought to myself, if I could beat you then there was nothing I couldn't achieve," he said, half laughing. "To think I had such respect for you, for them. Yet if you could only see the truth, see what they are, what they do, then maybe you wouldn't be fighting against me, but with me."

The tiger let out another deep growl and the word 'never' could almost be heard.

"You only see the good in front of you and nothing of what lies behind the curtain," he said darkly, stopping his pacing. "I do not condone what some have done, but what they have done to us, to you, that is wrong too. But I can see I'm not gonna convince you, so it's time to test my metal against you for real on a level playing field,"

The tiger's eyes showed a flash of sadness before it concentrated on the job in hand. The wolf's pace quickened back and forth.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," he said, closing his eyes and taking a breath.

Then, with that said, he opened his eyes, spun on his paws and charged. The tiger met him in the middle of the clearing, a clash of fur and claws; rolling and ripping. They were well matched, back and forth exchanging blows. Up on their hind legs beating each other, from side to side, the wolf then sank his jaws into the tiger's shoulder blade attempting to crack the bone. The tiger retaliated by taking a hold on the nearest piece of wolf flesh, which happened to be his head. The tiger latched on and squeezed, writhing and tugging, while the wolf relinquished his grip and let out screaming yelps. He broke free, but the tiger had torn off his left ear and bloodied the left side of his face. He snarled and flew at the tiger, using his strength to body slam it off its paws. It rolled and kicked his legs out from under him. They were struggling and trying to get the upper hand, rolling about once more, and almost came close to hitting Shane several times as he still had yet to move. Then the wolf was free again and kicking the tiger off, it bounded away, vanishing from sight. The tiger was up, it's whiskers sensing around it, then the wolf sprang landing on the tigers back, jaws straining to reach the kill spot, but the tiger bucked. It bucked and twisted, dropping it's shoulder in an effort to dislodge the wolf who in fact just managed to slip further forward meaning the kill spot was in reach, but it was what the tiger had wanted also. For now, it was able to swing round and clamp it's jaws onto the wolf's free hanging left back leg and with a swift jerk, it tore the wolf off its back. It then proceeded to swing the wolf round in a circle, the back legs of the tiger turning on the spot while the front ones bunny hopped round in a bigger circle. The centrifugal force caused the beast to turn faster and faster and it raised itself off its front paws almost, then with a flick of its head it sent the wolf flying. He flew towards the back left corner of the clearing, passing between two trees only to hit the one in the middle with enough force that it cracked and toppled backwards. The whole lot fell to the floor with an almighty bang.

The onlookers stared, a mixture of shock and wonder, unable to find words to comment. The tiger turned and glanced at them, but its ears swivelled picking up a sound. Then suddenly a couple of pheasants exploded from the bushes letting out loud cries followed by the wolf. He propelled himself off the embankment, curling his body so that all for paws bunched forward like a wolf shaped missile. He struck the tiger full on in the side sending it sprawling across the clearing, only to be struck again as the wolf spun and charged with such a velocity and power, that the tiger was cast into the odd shaped boulder at the back of the clearing. The boulder cracked and crumbled and part fell away landing upon the tiger as it tried to rise to its feet. The wolf paused panting and watching the pile of rubble. When nothing happened he gave a triumphant howl and turned his attentions to the people. They eyed him, tensions running high, Richard glanced at his gun which still lay idle on the ground. He couldn't reach it, not before the wolf got him first. Yet the wolf could not have cared less about him. With his eyes fixed on his target and no one to really stop him, he charged. His target, who was Sully, saw the wolf coming and trying to ensure his attacker wouldn't hurt anyone else in the process, limped quickly across the clearing, but stumbled and ended up leaning on a tree for support. His leg wouldn't cooperate and so with his back against the tree, using it as a brace, he faced his enemy. The wolf was closing and how he loved it, bloodlust coursing through his veins. Yet as he prepared himself for the kill, his charge came to a stumbling halt. His back right leg had caught on something or something had caught him. Sully stared wide eyed at Shane who, with the some of his regained strength, had grabbed the wolf's leg and was attempting to stop it reaching him. He was been partly dragged in the dirt as the creature tried to free himself from Shane's grasp. Yet Sully could also see Shane's energy lagging and so was his as he now felt himself begin to slide down the rough bark. This was it and for Sully everything appeared to happen in slow motion. As he slid, something banged back and forth off the tree and his back. It then clicked finally in his mind, a memory along with a voice reoccurring inside his head.

_"Sully? she said slowly._

"_Yeah?" he replied, looking at her._

"_I want you to have this," she said, approaching him while removing something from behind her, her sliver blue eyes sparkled._

_She then handed him an object, a smooth silver barrelled, pearl handled gun. A colt automatic._

"_Um, wow…I can't take this," he had said trying to give it back._

"_It's my spare, it's loaded," she said, shaking her pretty head, probably thinking some derogatory thought about him, but not in a bad way. "Only use it if you have to,"_

_Hell, he'd thought then, she really cares, she loves me and God I love her. He looked at the gun slowly so many thoughts passing through his mind as he ran his fingers over it before looking once again at her beautiful eyes._

"_Ok," he had replied, putting it down the back of his jeans and ensuring it was out of sight. _

He reached for the gun now, pulling at it though it seemed a little stuck. As he struggled so did the wolf in Shane's grip. Shane's energy failed and his grip loosened just as, from the back of the clearing, the rubble shuddered and the tiger rose from beneath it, the rock fragments tumbling to the ground. It saw the wolf making his move and began to propel itself after him. The gun came free and Sully brought it round, settling it into a two handed grip, clicking the safety off and pulling back the hammer all in one reasonably smooth movement. The wolf was thundering towards him now, free from Shane's hold, and he launched himself at Sully going in for the kill. It was as he soared through the air, jaws open to sink in for the kill, that he saw the shine of the barrel of the gun. However it made no difference, he could not alter his course. Sully pulled the trigger. The shot fired and struck the wolf in the mouth, the force punching it backwards. He fell to the floor with a sickening smack and lay there panting. The gun slipped from Sully's fingers as he began to shake and tears came to his eyes; fear, terror and relief washing over him. The tiger paused to glance at him before turning it's attention the wolf on the floor. He wasn't dead, but he was hardly in a state to live either. The bullet had nicked the kill spot, he was not going to survive, but his death would not be quick. His dark gold eyes glanced up into the fiery amber of the tigers.

"Going to say I told you so," he spluttered, pain etched on his features. "No, you'd say you're not that mean,"

The tiger gave the wolf a look.

"You've won, are you happy?" he spat between breaths. "I was wrong, I'm sorry…"

He shuddered, pain racking his body.

"You know, I never believed that saving people was wrong. That's not why I became a Rogue at all," he spoke weakly through gritted teeth. "I couldn't stand how the Panel ordered us about, how they had us at their beck and call. They trap us into an never-ending cycle of what they call our duty and we had no choice really in whether we wished it to be our 'duty' or not,"

The tiger groaned softly and the wolf convulsed bloody spittle starting to drip from his jaws.

"I made a mistake however and now my sister is trapped in this fate with me…I need you…" he tried, but coughed violently. The tiger lowered its face towards the wolf. "I need you to save her, you have to promise to save her,"

He begged the tiger with his eyes. Its lips curled and it made a sort of strangled noise in its throat. If it had spoken words then they were almost lost with in the sounds, but those who heard it were sure it said 'I promise I will try,'.

"Thank you, there's something you should know," he attempted to continue, his voice fading. "Come closer,"

The tiger cocked its head and lowered its body more still so that it could catch the wolf's whispered words. Whatever the information he gave, it was completely inaudible to the group and so they had no idea as to what transpired between the two creatures. Finally, as the wolf finished conveying the information he had that was clearly only for the tiger's ears, he shuddered and shook letting out painful whines and yelps as his body went into several violent convulsions. Yet still he didn't die, even though blood now clearly dripped from his mouth forming a small pool around his head.

"I need you to do me one last favour," he spoke, now there was a break in the convulsions. "I may not deserve it in your eyes, but it…it would…"

His voice was fading.

"I require your teeth," he said slowly as if each word caused him great pain. "Please,"

The cry was clear and the tiger looked down on the now pitiful creature. It knew what he was asking and it sighed, but it gave the wolf a curt nod of agreement.

"Thank you," he said the words rattling from his mouth, like a last breath. Yet there was a sense of relief in those words as well. The tiger's lips curled back now, showing its great canines for all to see. It raised and positioned itself above the wolf's neck, their eyes locked on each other for one final time each conveying a silent message, before the tiger lunged and with a quick and violent jerk of the head, finished what the bullet had started. The tiger gently lay the dead wolf's head back down on the ground and bowed its head for a few moments before turning to assess the living. It ran its eyes over each of them, taking in everything. Sully was still sat against the tree - his hands shaking uncontrollably and his eyes fixed on the dead wolf - while Cal was checking the others over. Richard now picked up his gun and glanced towards JD, the tiger's focus was also on him. Chloe who had been watching Sully with concern now glanced at the gun in JD's hands.

"Why didn't you do something?" she asked now and JD's blue eyes met hers. "Why didn't you shoot?"

"I can't-" he started.

"Can't?" she interjected, snapping a little. "JD, now is not the time to develop a conscience,"

"No, I mean I haven't got any ammo left," he said now cocking the shotgun and presenting the empty barrels to her. "It's no use really. I guess you could say it's just for show,"

The tiger let out a sort of growling sigh. The sound alerted them all back to the fact it was still present. Richard raised his rifle at it, but Kelly placed a hand on the barrel and shook her head. Richard glanced between her and the tiger and lowered it for now. After all, the beast showed no sign it was planning on attacking.

"We need to get out of here," said Simon, glancing around the clearing.

"I agree," said a rough voice, causing them all to look to Shane who now was attempting to get to his feet. The others knew better then to offer Shane assistance as they doubted it would be appreciated. "There's probably more of them,"

"I second that," replied Richard, his eyes spotting a trail to the left that lead from the clearing. He indicated to it with a flick of his rifle barrel. "I say we follow that,"

No one had any other suggestions, it appeared they had reached a consensus; they would take the path and see where it led. Chloe now dropped down on her haunches in front of Sully encouraging him to look at her.

"We need to go. Can you stand?" she asked kindly.

He nodded and she, with the help of Cal, helped Sully get to his feet. He seemed a little shaky still, but after a few breaths he felt he could make his own way. He slowly picked up the colt and placed it back in his jeans.

The group was pretty much ready. They took one last glance at the dead creatures before heading for the path. Shane took several slow steps, pain bit into him with each one. He could feel the blood trickling from his wound and running down the direction gravity dictated. His top was already slick with blood and it was starting to seep through his jacket. He blinked rapidly, his vision blurring, swimming, swirling. His heart seemed to be pounding in his ears and nausea was rising within him. Then his ears began burn and the world turned. He collapsed hitting the ground with a hard thump. The group turned instantly.

"Shane!" cried Kelly, her voice full of worry.

Richard raised his gun again as the tiger, who had been watching Shane, spun on its paws and closed the distance between it and Shane in a single bound. Yet again Richard was stopped from shooting it. Shane was gasping, his face screwed up in pain. The tiger placed a paw gently on him, its whiskers twitching. It began to carefully peel back his clothing as best as it could, as Cal and Simon came up quickly behind it. The tiger let out a growl stopping them in their tracks and then having reached the wound it began to lick it. Shane groaned as each lick sent waves of agony through his body.

"It's trying to eat him!" said Booth, his voice full of alarm.

"No, it's not," said Kelly, rolling her eyes in Booth's direction. "Tiger saliva is meant to be an antiseptic."

"To the tiger maybe," continued Booth, but he was hushed by a look from Sully.

Simon tried to get round but the tiger growled again.

"He's not going to hurt him," said Cal soothingly to the tiger. The tiger looked at Cal and moved back a little to let him see the wound, but it still wouldn't allow Simon's approach. "I'm alright to look am I?"

The tiger did nothing. Cal's eyes widened and his face paled at the horrific sight of the gaping wound in Shane's right side.

"We need to get him to a hospital," he said as calmly as he could.

"Not likely to happen with the current circumstances," said Brent again checking around. "There may be a doctors in the town,"

"Any medical facility would better then none right now," replied Cal trying to find a way to staunch the bleeding. He looked at the tiger. "You're going to have to let him help me, I can't do this on my own,"

It seemed to glare at him. He swung his head to Simon.

"You're a paramedic aren't you?" he asked, confirming his current thinking.

"Yeah, you know I am," he replied with a nod giving his friend a look. "We've worked in the same hospital for several years now,"

"See," said Cal, again looking to the tiger.

It finally relented, allowing Simon to assist Cal in helping Shane.

"I need something to press against the wound," said Cal, looking down at his own clothing. Then suddenly a grey t-shirt appeared before him from above. "Uh thanks,"

He looked up at the person who handed him the cotton piece of clothing and was as surprised as anyone to find it was JD who was proffering it.

"I was wearing more then one," said JD simply.

Cal nodded and took it, then he glanced at JD again indicating he planned to rip it. JD shrugged that it was fine and so Cal tore the t-shirt in half and scrunching it up placed it firmly on wound then he looked for something to hold it in place and apply pressure.

"Will this do?" asked Richard suddenly.

Cal turned and saw Richard was undoing his belt.

"Perfect," replied Cal accepting the belt and using it to hold the cotton in place.

Yet he could see the blood was already beginning to soak through. Cal knew they needed to get moving. So he directed those who could to lift Shane carefully, as they had nothing with which to make a stretcher. With JD leading, Richard, Brent, Booth and Simon carrying Shane and Chloe and Kelly both ensuring that Cal and Sully were supported if they wanted, bringing up the rear, they set off down the track. The tiger trotted calmly past them, placing itself ahead of JD and slowed to a stroll. Every so often it would glance back to ensure they were all still there and following. The odd looking procession continued like that for a good ten minutes before the tiger paused it's ears flicking. It then glanced back at the others and with a flick of its head indicated for them to continue while it slunk off up the embankment to their left. They glanced between themselves, but continued only to stop when a woman came flying down the embankment and onto the path before them. A blonde dressed in a dark purple top, jeans, black jacket and boots. She appeared not to have notice them as she stared back up at the embankment, as if waiting for something. Her waiting ended as the larger bulky body of a wild boar came crashing towards her and she only just managed to move out the way. In moving however, she caught sight of the strange looking group and her shocked expression turned to one of what could have been described as a mixture of glee and malice. She began to move towards them giving no sign of her intentions and JD began to raise the gun, but she didn't slow, she didn't show any fear at all. She was closing the gap when she was floored by none other then the tiger, its fangs sunk into her neck, twisting and turning. She didn't rise again and the tiger after glancing them over turned and continued as if nothing had happened. They followed picking their way around the body and trying not to look at it.

Up ahead the path finally diverted and the tiger guided them left, they followed without question, not that they had much choice anyway. The trees started to thin and they could see the backs of buildings and fences that surrounded, they assumed, peoples' back gardens. The tiger slowed and held up a paw for them to stop. They did and so were left to watch as it slunk away between the garden fences and buildings, waiting to see if it returned. To their relief it did, but only fleetingly to encourage them to follow quickly. As carefully as they could, supporting a barely conscious Shane, they snuck round the side of one of the buildings and up to the edge of the street. They could see the stark white walls of the medical centre further up the street to their left. The tiger was no where to be seen. Instead of heading up the street they backtracked and followed the line of the trees until they were directly behind the building. Nearing the street again they glanced at the place. The front was very different from the back. It had large glass front windows through which you could see the waiting area. The rest of the front was made from wood which arched over the windows and the waiting area in an effort to make the place feel light and airy. It could have almost been mistaken for a fancy house. There were two doors, they could either be opened manually or by pressing a button.

"We forgot about the likelihood of it being locked," hissed Sully, staring at the door; thoughts of how they could possibly break in filling his mind.

JD tried the door and though it was stiff, it opened.

"Or not," he commented.

"Maybe the tiger picked the lock," suggest Booth as he readjusted Shane's weight which was starting to be to much for him.

He was expecting to be chastised for such a stupid suggestion, but since nobody could come up with any better he got no such remarks. They made their way in, searching for a room in which to place Shane.

"In here," Cal announced having followed a sign into a medium sized room containing another waiting area and then pushed open the swing doors to his right into a smart consultancy room.

They placed Shane down on the bed and then vacated the room leaving only Cal, Chloe, Shane (of course), Simon and Sully who had paused in the doorway. Just as Cal began to direct Chloe and Simon as to what he would require, a sound from the hallway outside the odd little waiting area caught everyone's attention. Richard raised his rifle and JD raised his reloaded shotgun. Sully too had drawn the colt again and he joined the other two in pointing it at the doorway.

"Easy guys," called out a voice from beyond the doors. "I'm a friend, I'd appreciate it if you would refrain from shooting me if possible,"

They paused, the voice sounding familiar. Shane tried to say something to Chloe who was currently nearest to him, but his voice was so weak she didn't catch his words.

"Lower the guns," came the voice again, it was a woman that they were sure of.

Richard decided to speak. "How do we know you are as friendly as you say?"

"Well Richard Allen, I would hope you'd recognise my voice," replied the woman. "Are you going to lower your guns, or am I going to have a few bullet holes put in me?"

There was a pause in which the small group most of which were in the funny little waiting room exchanged glances, trying to decide what to do.

"Her voice does sound familiar," said JD which Kelly, Sully, Brent all nodded in agreement.

"Come in slowly," said Sully, his voice sounding a little out of character and pained. "Hands where we can see them,"

"Ok, Sully," said the woman and they could see the shadow on the door. "Easy now,"

The door opened slowly and the woman made her entrance. They all stared and their guns immediately lowered.

* * *

"Rebecca!" cried Kelly pushing past JD and grabbing me into a hug. "You're alive!"

"Yes, though I won't be if you continue to squeeze the life out of me," I replied and Kelly loosened her grip.

"We thought…though we hoped you hadn't," said Richard slowly.

"I know, but I'm here now," I said resting a hand on his shoulder.

* * *

Sully watched as JD hugged her now and Booth and Brent went to join them. Sully however was unsure . He wanted to hug her, he wanted to take hold of her and never let her go. Yet he held back; he had pushed her away and although most of the anger within him had gone he didn't believe he was yet worthy of her forgiveness. So he gave her a nod of greeting and then moved away. Rebecca watched, but did not comment, instead she headed through to where Cal and the others were.

* * *

"How is he?" I asked as I entered only to be engulfed in a hug by Chloe.

"I'm so happy you are ok," she whispered.

"He's very weak," answered Cal, who would have greeted me had he not been trying to save Shane.

I came over and took Shane's left hand. His eyes moved lazily over to me.

"Hey," he said roughly and I could feel the light tremors that ran though his body as I held that hand.

"Hey," I said, my face showing concern.

"I'm sorry," he whispered and I shook my head.

"For what?" I asked, in the background Cal was giving out orders left, right and centre.

"For not staying where you told me too," he said, grimacing in pain.

"Part of me is glad you didn't," I said softly. "Where are the others?"

"Still there," he said, his hand squeezing mine as his body shook. "Ryan sent me…"

His face screwed up in pain and I tried to calm him.

"Easy, Shane, easy," I said, caressing his face.

I looked up at Cal, who's face was showing signs of extreme concern.

"I've found a bottle of anaesthetic," announced Chloe, coming in the door.

She had been searching desperately for items Cal had asked for.

"At least," murmured Shane. "I got to see you again,"

"Don't talk like that," I said, looking back down at Shane again. "You're not going to die,"

Though I spotted Cal's look out of the corner of my eye.

"He thinks so," said Shane, between breaths. "They all are thinking it, even I…"

"No," I interjected.

All around they were rushing to prep him, struggling to work around me.

"You can't save me this time," he murmured, wincing more as Simon inserted a needle into his left arm.

"Shush now, you'll be fine," I said, a thought crossing my mind. "I'll be here when you wake up,"

He gave me a slight look that said '_If_…if I wake up'. Simon was almost ready and now he began introducing the anaesthetic into Shane's system. Shane's eyes grew heavy and they began to drop slowly though he kept his eyes on me. I kept hold of his hand, telling him he'd be alright. His own grip on my hand started to loosen as the drug took hold and I watched as his lids finally closed and he fell into unconsciousness. After gently laying his hand down and moving so Simon could finish up what he was doing, I indicated to Cal I needed to talk. He glanced at Chloe before coming and joining me.

"I need you to do something for me," I started and I saw Cal look apprehensive.

"I can't promise I can save him," said Cal quickly. "He's lost a lot of blood and the wound is large,"

"I know, do what you can for him," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "What I need you to do however is if at any point you think he is lost. That he is dying, I need you to come and get me."

"But…" he started.

"Just do it, please," I said, looking him in the eye. "But only if your sure he won't make it,"

He looked at me unsure what to make of my words, but he nodded.

"Ok," he said.

I gave him a sad smile and with one last look at Shane I left the room...

* * *

Ok well there you go. I apologise again for taking so long, but I'm doing my best. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and if you fancy telling me so, or complaining how long it took or any questions feel free to leave a review *Puppy Dog Eyes*...they really make my day and encourage me to write faster! :)


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